Wn MlEmCTTNMlSSIOimRY 
Re V^iWilliam 71. Judge, S.J. 




ClassTE-V^Leoi. 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




REV. WILLIAM H. JUDGE^ S. J. 



An American Missionary 



A RECORD OF THE WORK 



OF 



RET. WILLIAM H. JUDGE, S. J 



BY 



REV. CHARI.es J. JUDGE, 8. S 




INTRODUCTION BY 

His Eminence, Cardinai. Gibbons 

ILLUSTRATED 

SECOND SOITION, BBVI8BD AND AUGUMENTBD 

CATHOIilC FOREIGN MISSION BUREAU 
63 UNION PARK ST., BOSTON, MASS. 



3mprtmatur: L 



lUBRARYofCONSRE^Sj 
Two Copies Receivec 

DEC 26 1907 

, Copyngni tntry 
COPY B. 



4 1#( -A 



> ^<\^ 



\ 



^ James Card. Gibbons, 

Archie p. Baltimorensis. 



Baltimorae, die 26 Aprilis, 1904. 



Copyright; imj, by 
Rev. Charles J. Judge, S. S. 



i 



I 



HIS MISSION. 

'Twas not for gain of glittering gold, he trod 

Alaska's frozen loin; 
Nay, but the superscription of their God, 

On colder hearts to coin. 

John B. Tabb. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction .... 
Preface to the Second Edition 
Preface 



CHAPTER I. 
The Preparation .... 

CHAPTER II. 

The Priesthood 

CHAPTER III. 
The Rocky Mountain Mission 

CHAPTER IV. 
Off for Alaska .... 

CHAPTER V. 
On the Yukon 

CHAPTER VI. 
Forty Mile Post and Circle City 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Rush to the Klondike 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Dawson City 

CHAPTER IX. 
His Death and Funeral 

CHAPTER X. 
Tributes of Respect and Affection 



ix 

XIII 

XVII 

Page. 
. 1 



8 

. 16 

. 28 

. 47 

. 128 

. 189 

. 200 

. 255 

. 278 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Portrait of Father Judge .... Frontispiece. 

FACING PAGE 

College of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Woodstock, Md. 4 *" 

Souvenir of the Rocky Mountain Missions . . . 22 '^ 

Unalaska , , Z2^ 

St. Michael, Alaska 48 • 

Alaskan Missionary in Winter Costume . . . 64y 

Anvik, Yukon River 77^ 

Archbishop Charles J. Seghers, the Apostle of Alaska . 95 

Nulato, Yukon River 105^ 

Yukon River in Winter 121 / 

Forty Mile Post 128- 

Holy Cross Mission 145"' 

An Eskimo and His Kyak 177" 

Dawson City in the Summer of 1898 — Catholic Church 
and St. Mary^s Hospital 200/^ 

The First Catholic Church in Dawson .... 203/ 

Summer Work at the Mines 214. 

Front Street, Dawson 217 • 

Bird's-eye View of Dawson City — Catholic Church in / 

right foreground 240 

Captain Jack Crawford 251 

Interior of St. Mary's Church — Tomb of Father Judge 277 

Map of Alaska, showing Yukon River Missions and the 

Klondike , At end.y 



INTRODUCTION. 

THIS biography, from the pen of one who 
is in complete sympathy with his sub- 
ject, will prove to be, it is hoped, for the 
young Levite into whose hands it may fall, 
an incentive to Apostolic zeal. 

Reared in a family in which the Christian 
virtues were, in all patience and meekness, 
daily practised as a matter of course, what 
to others might have appeared unusual, Wil- 
liam H. Judge deemed not extraordinary; 
what to others might have had the appear- 
ance of the heroic, he aspired to as but a step 
above the ordinary. Whatever duties he 
was assigned to he fulfilled to the best of his 
powers, but throughout his life there was 
the undercurrent of the missionary's zeal. 
Truly he might say, '' Zelus domus tuae com- 
edit me.''* 

Nothing daunted by the hardships that a 
life in the far Northwest most certainly had 
in store for the venturesome soul that en- 
tered its icy confines, he hailed with delight 

* " The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up."— P^. Ixviii, 10. 

ix 



X An American Missionary 

the command to go and preach. The story 
of his work, its sufferings, its privations, its 
disappointments, its consolations and joys, is 
here told by one eminently fitted for the 
labor of love. 

What I would particularly ask the reader 
to note is the tone of cheerfulness which 
characterizes the letters of Father Judge. 
These, we may believe, reflect the spirit of 
joy which illumined his soul ever, in spite of 
the dark days of hardship and privation 
through which he passed. In this we find a 
lesson. The true missionary's life is not one 
of sadness and brooding over what, to the 
world, would seem a sad lot. His life is 
hidden in God. Is he successful, God be 
praised; is he unsuccessful, God be praised 
none the less. This joyful spirit in the midst 
of what is calculated to produce the opposite 
effect is characteristic of those generous, 
holy souls whose life reads '' per Ipsum, et 
cum Ipso, et in Ipso est Tibi Deo Patri Om- 
nipotenti in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis 
honor et gloria.''* 

He who would follow in the footsteps of 
Father Judge, in the like spirit of patience 
and meekness, may confidently expect, even 
in this life, peace and tranquility of soul oc- 

* Through Him, and with Him, and in Him is to Thee God 
the Father Omnipotent in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all 
honor and glory. — Canon of the Mass, 



Introduction xi 

casionally brightened by the sweetest conso- 
lation, according to the promises of our 
Lord, of a hundredfold even in this life. 

May this biography inspire other gener- 
ous souls to take up the burden from which 
God has called Father Judge to his reward. 
This, I think, is the main purpose of this 
book — '' Ut Ecclesia Dei aedificationem ac- 
cipiat."* 

J. Card. Gibbons. 

Baltimore, June loth, 1904. 

* " That the Church may receive edification." — L Cor, xiv, 5. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

THE kindly reception accorded ''An 
American Missionary ^^ has cheered and 
encouraged the editor. The Httle volume 
has given pleasure and edification even be- 
yond his expectations. That this pleasure 
and edification may be extended to others 
and perpetuated is sufficient reason for of- 
fering to the public this second edition. 

We take this opportunity to thank Arnold 
F. George, of Dawson, J. W. Crawford 
(Capt. Jack) — the well-known Lecturer — 
C. H. Higgins of Steelton, Pa., and E. C. 
Gerow of Seattle, for their assistance in fill- 
ing out the narrative, and E. A. Hegg of 
Seattle, for permission to use photographs. 
A happy result of the publication of Father 
Judge's letters, has been to bring us into 
communication with some of his old Klon- 
dike friends, and to elicit further expressions 
of their love and admiration for the Mis- 
sionary. 

These and other communications have 
given us the comforting assurance that our 
effort to tell the simple truth without frater- 
nal bias has been successful. The following 

xiii 



xiv An American Missionary 

words of the editor of the Dawson Daily- 
News show that, if we have erred, it has 
been on the right side : " I fancy . . from 
the tenor of your whole letter, that you are 
being made a convert. I mean that your 
correspondence with those like myself, who 
had the felicity of a personal acquaintance 
with your brother in the last years of his life, 
has not been without its effect .... You 
are now reaching the point of view of some- 
one outside of the family. The love and ad- 
miration of a brother or sister .... is a 
beautiful thing, but altogether a different 
thing from the sentiment of love Father 
Judge inspired in the thousands here .... 
It was of the nature of reverence, and those 
who knew him most intimately experienced 
the most of this reverence. 

So I fancy in future editions of the book 
I shall see more of the same spirit as my 
own, and less of the brotherly diffidence no- 
ticeable in the first edition. I realize, after 
all, that though a brother's touch may be 
most truly loving, there are curbs, checks, 
and bounds. So let me suggest that brother- 
ly apprehension lest too much be said, while 
indicating family modesty, is not necessary 
in the case of Father Judge. The most that 
family and personal love could dictate in 
affectionate adulation, would yet come far 
short of the general estimate here. '^ 



Preface xv 

There is then reason to hope that it will 
now do the work no injury, for the public to 
know that it is edited by " my brother's 
brother. '' A source of great satisfaction 
is the fact that this edition is published by 
and for the benefit of the Catholic Foreign 
Mission Bureau of Boston. Thus, Father 
Judge will still be working for the Missions ; 
the usefulness of his words and labors will 
not have ended with his short missionary 
career. 



St. Chables' College, Md. 
Feast of the Assumption^ August 15th, 1901, 



PREFACE. 

"God speaks to us still, as He spoke to our forefathers." 
— Fr, Caussade. 

TO the youth of America, who feel them- 
selves called to the Priesthood or the 
religious life, this narrative is dedicated, in 
the hope that it may cheer them on their 
way, and encourage them in times of diffi- 
culty. It is the simple story of one like 
themselves, born in the same circumstances, 
living for years in the same everyday world, 
and encountering the same difficulties that 
they may encounter in corresponding to the 
call of God. Yet, with all this absence of 
the extraordinary, there is evidence in this 
life, of a call from God, of a heavenly voca- 
tion, and of the divine assistance for its 
perfect accomplishment. 

Is it not a happiness to think that, in the 
midst of this work-a-day world of ours, 
amidst the bustle of city life or the humble 
occupations of an ordinary home, " God 
speaks to us still, as He spoke to our fore- 
fathers"? Yes, He speaks to us as He 
spoke to the Saints whose lives we read with 
awe and admiration. 

xvii 



xviii An American Missionary 

If we look around us, as we jjass through 
the crowded street, or enter the busy store 
or the trolley-car, we see youths or maidens 
who, to all appearance, are occupied with 
temporal business or intent on pleasure; but 
could we look into some of those hearts, how 
our impressions would change ! We would 
find that there is One, Who is omnipotent. 
Who is divinely benignant, knocking at the 
door, and calling to those souls to give them- 
selves to Him, and Hib knocking is not 
always disregarded. His call is not always 
rejected. There may be clouds of doubt, 
there may be obstacles innumerable, but 
the voice of God is potent in its goodness, 
and in its patient condescension. The 
Word of God that thus speaks to a soul is 
light and life, as St. John says : " In the be- 
ginning was the Word In him was 

life and the life was the light of men.'' * 

Little by little the ligrht enters the soul of 
a youth, and gradually new vistas open, 
paths to him untrodden, which lead to great 
and good things, to God and heaven. Then 
with the light come strength and courage; 
and, after a time, his young heart feels that 
no prospect of difficulty or sacrifice can deter 
it from following the gracious call of the 
Lord; no temporal pleasure, no earthly 
happiness can have any weight, when 

* St. John i, 1, 4. 



Preface 



XIX 



balanced against the joy of doing the will 
of God. 

Hence we see the young man or the young 
woman quitting gladly what others may 
look upon as bright prospects, but which 
these favored souls consider only as liga- 
ments, which would bind them too closely 
to this lower world, and from which they 
are glad to be free. They feel in greater or 
l^ss degree the noble sentiment which the 
Church attributes to St. Henry, Emperor of 
Germany, when she says of him, " Not con- 
tent with the narrow limits of a temporal 
kingdom, he sedulously served the Eternal 
King, in order to obtain the crown of im- 
mortality,'' and that other, expressed by St. 
Stanislaus Kostka in these words : '' I was 
not born for temporal things, but for eter- 
nal." 



St. Charles' College, Md. 
Feast of the Sacred Hearty June 10th, 1904. 



CHAPTER L 

THE PREPARATION. 

" Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth."— / Kings, Hi, 10. 

I WAS in Paris, in 1875, when I received a 
letter from the subject of this sketch, in 
which he informed me that permission had 
been given him to go to the Jesuit Novitiate 
at Frederick, Md. '' It was the happiest day 
of my Hfe,'' he wrote, " for you know that 
ever since the time of my First Communion, 
I have wished to enter the Society/' " I 
knew no such thing,'' I said to myself; for 
I had not been aware that he thought of the 
priesthood, or of entering the Society of 
Jesus. However, I was pleased to hear that 
he was thus able to take the first step 
towards realizing his long-cherished desire. 
One element in his joy was the fact that he 
had found he was not, as he had supposed, 
too old to begin the preparation. 

Born in Baltimore, April 28th, 1850, 
William Henry Judp^e was twenty-five years 
pld when he was admitted to the Novitiate. 
About ten years before, he had begun to 
study at Loyola College, Baltimore: but, 
after one year, he was obliged to quit his 

1 



2 An American Missionary 

studies for an occupation better suited to the 
state of his health. For ten years he was an 
active clerk in one of the largest planing- 
mills of Baltimore. Here he gained a 
practical knowledge of woodwork and of 
building, which afterwards in his missionary 
career he found vastly useful. 

What was going on in his soul during 
those years of business life appears in some 
lines which he wrote to one of his brothers 
in March, 1874. " You spoke of the thoughts 
and feelings which you experienced in 
church the Saturday evening following the 
reception of A's letter and mine, both of 
which contained much concerning N's recep- 
tion and my intention of soon following her 
example. This naturally made you think as 
you did ; and I do not know any better time 
or place for serious reflection, than Saturday 
night in church. There in the stillness of 
the night, by the dim light of the Sanctuary 
lamp, we see our intentions, as well as the 
pride and ambition of the world, much more 
clearly than at almost any other time. I 
have often, when in the Cathedral or the Col- 
lege (St, Ignatius Church) at that time, 
thought : * Here another week has passed, 
and now that it is gone what difference does 
it make whether it has passed pleasantly, or 
I have had many trials and much worry and 
trouble, if my conscience does not reproach 



The Preparation 3 

me with having misspent it ' : and I judge 
that we shall feel very much the same, when 
we come to look back on our whole life, for 
the last time/' The reception spoken of in 
his letter was that of one of his sisters, who 
entered the convent of the Sisters of Mercy 
on the same day that another sister made her 
profession as a religious of the Good Shep- 
herd. 

As time wore on, he resumed his studies, 
as far as his duties at the office would permit. 

No wonder that after ten years of longing 
and suspense, his heart bounded with joy and 
gratitude when, on August 23, 1875, he was 
admitted into the Novitiate at Frederick. 
The years of prayer and study which fol- 
lowed, were happy ones for him; indeed, 
from that time, he was always joyous: for 
we shall see that, even amid the hardships 
of the Alaskan Mission, he usually ended his 
letters with the expression, " I am well and 
happy/^ In truth, what happiness can com- 
pare with that of being in the way of one's 
vocation, of feeling sure that he is doing 
God's will, and that consequently he is on 
the road to peace and usefulness in this life, 
and eternal happiness in the next : — '' Qui 
facit voluntatem Dei manet in aeternum."* 
He said to one of his brothers, that he had for 

*"He that doeth the will of God, abideth forever."— 
/ John J ii, 17. 



4 An American Missionary 

years pictured to himself the happiness of 
the Novitiate, but that he had never thought 
it was so great as he found it to be. 

His novitiate and juniorate over, the 
young Jesuit taught for three years in Gon- 
zaga College, Washington, D. C. ; gave a 
year to the study of philosophy at Wood- 
stock; acted as prefect and teacher in 
Georgetown College, for a year; and then, in 
1883, returned, for the study of theology, to 
the great House of Studies, the College of 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at Woodstock, 
Md. 

Here, again, his heart must have been filled 
with gratitude to God for his vocation, and 
for the privilege of studying in a place so 
well fitted to foster the spirit of so high a 
calling. Even a casual visitor to Wood- 
stock would pronounce it an ideal place for 
study, elevated as it is high above the wind- 
ing Patapsco and the railroad, and separated 
thus from the ordinary world. The student 
is aided by his very surroundings to raise his 
mind to heaven; and yet, as he casts his eye, 
from time to time, far down to the river, the 
little village, and the rushing trains, he is 
reminded that, as a priest of God, he is to 
live not for himself alone, but for the up- 
lifting, and the salvation of his neighbor. 

In September, 1883, William Judge wrote: 



C 

o 
o 

o 
a» 

H 

o 
n 




The Preparation 5 

'' I am glad to be back at Woodstock again, 
and if all goes well, I hope to be ordained 
two years from next Easter. We have a very 
large community this year, a splendid body 
of young men, and I expect a very happy 
time/' Later in the came year, he shows 
how he was beginning to combine fraternal 
affection with zeal for a brother's spiritual 
good. '' I cannot tell you how glad it makes 
me to find you so comfortable and happy, but 
especially to see 5^ou, while you are enjoying 
these blessings, laying up for yourself an 
eternal reward by the faithful practice of 
your religious duties. At the same time, by 
your good example, you are forming the 
hearts and minds of your little ones to the 
love and esteem of virtue; thus giving them 
a treasure as much greater than the goods 
of this world, as heaven is above earth." 

Busy years were those of the scholasticate ; 
the time wisely divided between study and 
prayer, with hours of recreation and rest in- 
terspersed. Although some may wonder 
how so long a preparation is required to fit 
the scholastic or the seminarian for his work, 
the initiated find, as did the future mission- 
ary at Woodstock, that the days of twenty- 
four hours, are only too short. 

Finally the great day of ordination to the 
Holy Priesthood arrived. On August 28tH, 



6 An American Missionary 

1886, William H. Judge, with a number of 
his fellow scholastics, received the sacred 
order of the Priesthood from the hands of 
Archbishop Gibbons, in the beautiful chapel 
of the College at Woodstock. 

Thus, after eleven years of prayer and 
study, the young Jesuit found himself 
clothed with the character and blessed with 
the powers and the graces of the Priesthood. 
He would have been content to be even a 
Brother in the Society of Jesus, but he found 
his good-will rewarded with that superem- 
inent gift which raises a mortal man so 
near to God, his Savior. Jesus says to all 
His. priests, as He did to His Apostles: " I 
will not now call you servants, for the ser- 
vant knoweth not what his lord doeth. But 
I have called you friends, because all things 
whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I 
have made known to you."* 

The young priest feels the truth of these 
words of St. Ephrem : '^ O tremendous mys- 
tery of the Priesthood, spiritual and holy, 
venerable and blameless, which Christ, com- 
ing into this world, has bestowed even upon 
the unworthy ! On bended knee, with tears 
and sighs, I beg that we consider this treas- 
ure of the Priesthood. A treasure it is for 
those who worthily and holily guard it. It 
is a bright and incomparable shield, a firm 

♦St. John XV, 15. 



The Preparation 7 

tower, an impregnable wall, a solid and 
stable structure reaching from earth to the 
heights of heaven/'^ 

t Sermon of St. Ephrem the Deacon — De Sacerdotio. 



CHAPTER 11. 

THE PRIESTHOOD. 

" If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I would salute 
the priest before the angel; for the angel is the friend of 
God, but the priest holds His place." — Cure of Ars. 

THE reception of the Holy Priesthood was 
a joy not only for the young levite, but 
also for his relatives. One of his brothers was 
present on the solemn occasion, but others 
who could not enjoy that favor, awaited his 
coming to receive his blessing and assist at 
his Mass. It must have been especially con- 
soling for him to visit his sisters in their 
convent homes and to offer the Holy Sacri- 
fice in those sanctuaries, where faith and 
love spare no pains to render the altar and 
its surroundings worthy of the Divine Visi- 
tor, who comes at the consecration. 

After a few days passed in holy joy and 
thanksgiving. Father Judge took up his ap- 
pointed work as Minister at Woodstock. 

No doubt, in selecting Father Judge for 
this important office, his superiors wished to 
utilize his experience in the world; and in 
this, they were not disappointed. The young 

8 



The Priesthood 9 

Minister threw his whole heart into the 
work of superintending the great House of 
Studies, and of ministering to the wants of 
his brethren, with earnest zeal and cheerful 
alacrity. 

Any one acquainted with such Institu- 
tions knows how heavy is the task of the 
Minister, or, as he is called in some places, 
the Procurator or Treasurer; what patience 
and benignity he needs to meet properly the 
thousand and one demands of perhaps two 
or three hundred persons. Yet this active 
life of business, charity, and zeal seemed to 
have a charm for the young priest. He 
thought he had found his life-work in the 
fruitful labors of a '^ Minister " ; but he was 
not to stay long amid the charming scenes 
and studious associations of the College of 
the Sacred Heart. 

However, the years that He spent there as 
Minister, were no bad apprenticeship to the 
life of active charity and zeal which he was 
later to lead as a Missionary. 

As an instance of the cheerfulness with 
which Father Judge gave himself up to this 
labor of love, we may mention an excursion 
of the vacation time. According to custom, 
a number of Novices, or Juniors, from the 
house in Frederick, were spending their 
weeks of relaxation at Woodstock. To vary 
their recreation, an excursion to the grounds 



10 An American Missionary 

of St. Charles' College, some five miles off, 
was arranged for them. The Father Min- 
ister accompanied the young men, and spent 
the day with them joyously and obligingly. 
To the west of the College campus is a fine 
wood of oak, chestnut, and hickory. Here 
the excursionists established themselves and, 
as noon approached, prepared their rustic 
dinner. A two-horse team had brought all 
that was necessary, even down to the pepper 
and salt for the soup, and the sauce for the 
slapjacks. Little stone furnaces were im- 
provised, and soon soup was simmering, 
potatoes boiling, and beefsteak frying. It 
was a pleasant sight to see the Rev. Minister 
moving among the impromptu cooks, cheer- 
ing them with his joyous activity, and taking 
a generous share in the work. One of the 
faculty of St. Charles\ who was invited to 
join the company, declared that he had never 
before eaten such slapjacks as those cooked 
on that occasion by Father Judge. This was 
a prelude to the good work that he did later 
on for the inmates of his hospital in Dawson. 

After two years, Father Judge was sent to 
the Novitiate at Frederick, there to exercise 
the same useful functions that had claimed 
all his devotion at Woodstock. 

About this time he wrote to his youngest 
sister, who was not yet settled in her voca- 
tion. The letter discloses his love for the 



The Priesthood 11 

religious life, and also his desire to go to the 
Western Missions. 

Woodstock College, 
Woodstock, Howard Co., Md., July 3, 1888. 
Dear Sister, 

Pax Christi ! 

I received your letter of June 24th a few 
days ago, but I have been so very busy that 
it was impossible to answer sooner. I think 
you overlooked one clause in my last letter, 
for I think I said '' if you were once settled 
in the cloister, I would be less anxious about 
writing to you,'' because then you would not 
need my letters. But while you are in your 
present state, I shall do my best to repair my 
past want of regularity in writing to you, 
especially as you tell me my letters encour- 
age you to go on more courageously in the 
service of our dear Lord, and therefore any 
time I can steal from my work for that pur- 
pose, will be well spent. 

Since receiving your letter, I have redou- 
bled my prayers in your behalf, and I shall 
not rest until I see you safe in the cloister, or 
perfectly happy, as far as one can be happy 
in this land of exile. Why do you hesitate? 
Do as I did at the time of ordination. With 
good reason, I was unwilling to take the re- 



12 An American Missionary 

sponsibility on myself, so I left it entirely to 
my superiors to say what I should do, and 
they said, '' Go ahead, we take the responsi- 
bility/' Now, no matter how unfit I find 
myself, I have no anxiety, for I feel sure that 
in following their advice, I did what God 
wished and that He will turn all to His own 
glory, and my good. I shall say Mass for 
you to-morrow, and again next Sunday, 
which will be the 8th, and after that, I shall 
say it for you every Friday, until we obtain 
from the Sacred Heart for you that peace 
which can come from It alone. 

I shall also make a novena to St. John 
Berchmans, who, you know, was canonized 
at the time of the Pope's Jubilee, hoping the 
Sacred Heart will grant our petition more 
readily when presented by one whom He has 
been pleased to raise so lately to the honors 
of the Altar. We should derive great con- 
solation from the canonization of St. 
Berchmans, because all his sanctity consisted 
in doing his ordinary actions with great 
purity of intention, which is so easy, and 
adds nothing to the burden of life, but rather 
lightens it very much, since nothing seems 
hard to do for one we love. 

Our Provincial has lately been changed, 
and I have renewed my request for the Rocky 
Mountain Missions, and it has been more 
favorably received than by the late Provin- 



The Priesthood 13 

cial, but I have not received a positive answer 
yet. If I am allowed to go, I may pass your 
way; and, if possible, I shall get permission 
to see you. I expect an answer within a few 
weeks, and I shall let you know the result as 
soon as I hear. 

In concluding, I beg you to put yourself 
entirely in the hands of your superiors, re- 
ceiving as the certain will of God whatever 
they determine. 

I must stop, it is now eleven P. M., and my 
alarm goes off at a quarter before four. I 
need not tell you that I am very happy, 
thanks to the goodness of God; not that I 
have nothing to trouble me — for I have had 
no end of causes of worry and vexation in the 
management of a big community like this — 
but I know that no matter what happens, it 
is God's will it should be so, and therefore I 
would not wish it to be otherwise on any 
account. 

Begging you to pray often for me, and to 
thank our dear Lord for all his goodness to 
one so unworthy, I must say good-by. 
Your loving Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

Another year passed before he obtained 
leave to go to the Missions, and that year he 
spent as Minister at Frederick. 

May I2th, 1889, he wrote to one of his 



14 An American Missionary 

sisters : " I intend to start for the West on 
Monday, May 20th, and, if agreeable to Rev. 
Mother and yourself, I would like to say 
Mass for you on that morning at the Con- 
vent/' 

Then came the farewell visits to his rela- 
tives, before setting out for the Rocky 
Mountain Missions. These partings were 
not sad, for all expected to see him again. 
After leaving Baltimore, he stopped in St. 
Louis and spent a pleasant evening with his 
eldest brother, and again in Denver, to pay 
the promised visit to his sister in the Good 
Shepherd Convent, where he said Mass, on 
the feast of the Ascension, May 30th. Al- 
though this last adieu must have been, 
naturally speaking, a trial, it was no doubt 
with a heart full of spiritual joy and consola- 
tion, that Father Judge started on the trip 
through the Rockies. 

It is a delightful experience to journey, as 
he did, through such scenes at the end of 
May. The gorges and canyons between 
Denver and northern Idaho are always grand 
and inspiriting, but how lovely they must be 
in the spring season, when the resurrection 
of nature clothes forest and plain in verdure, 
awakens to new life the animal kingdom on 
the earth and in the air, and whispers to the 
heart of man that this earth of ours has not 
been wholly corrupted. And yet, much as 



The Priesthood 15 

our traveller must have enjoyed the novelty 
and the beauty of this trip, we are inclined 
to think that he took the same gen- 
erous view of the matter that we have 
heard expressed by a Missionary in Oceania, 
who said : '' The scenery along the way is 
superb, but as I am not a tourist but a Mis- 
sionary, I will leave it to others to describe. 
What is picturesque from my point of view 
is that the valley is well populated and that 
there are plenty of young people fresh from 
school, so that our services are carried on 
with enthusiasm."* 

We may well suppose that Father Judge 
said to himself: ''This is sublime indeed, 
and blessed be God who grants us such joys, 
in this our exile; but what is most joyful to 
me is that this swift-moving train is bearing 
me to the scene of a labor of love, to the Mis- 
sions established by Marquette and De 
Smet." 

* Annals of Prop, of the Faith. May and June, 1902. p. 
132. 



CHAPTER HI. 

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION. 

" Forgetting the things that are behind ... I press towards 
the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in 
Christ ]tsns:'— Philip, Hi. 13, 14. 

IT would seem that our Missionary went 
* first to Spokane, Washington, where the 
Fathers of the Society of Jesus have a Col- 
lege and a church; and there or at Walla 
Walla, he helped in the parish work at 
Christmas and in Lent. The year however 
was to be chiefly spent by him in making his 
" Tertianship,'' or third year of probation, as 
a Jesuit, at the De Smet Mission in Idaho. 
He went there on August 28th, the third an- 
niversary of his ordination to the holy 
Priesthood. 

He gives us an idea of the Mission and of 
his Tertianship in a letter, under date of 
September 15th, 1889: 

" This Mission is in the Coeur D'Alene 
Reservation in the northern part of Idaho, 
and is a delightful place. The Reservation 
is about thirty miles long and twenty wide. 
We are in the southern part of it, about six 
miles from the Washington line. 

16 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 17 

'' I have never enjoyed so good health any- 
where else as I have here; nor do I think 
that I have been so completely happy even 
in my noviceship; for then there v^as always 
the fear of not being received, to mar my 
happiness; and besides, I now have the 
Priesthood with its joys, which I had not 
then. But this is the last resting-place, so 
you must pray hard for me this year, that I 
may lay in a good store of piety and solid 
virtue, so that I may be able hereafter to do 
something for God, in return for all that he 
has done, and is doing for me. 

" Do not think that I am leaving you be- 
hind; for, although I came to the Mission 
with the desire of suffering something for 
our Lord, as yet I have had no opportunity, 
nor do I hope for any this year. What may 
be in store for me when I leave here I do not 
know, but God's will be done! We must 
always remember that perfection consists 
not in this or that, but in doing God's holy 
will. Let us pray for each other that we 
may never have any other intention in all we 
do than that of fulfilling His holy will." 

In another letter, written towards the end 
of the year, April 20th, 1890, he tells us what 
was expected to be the fruit of this last year 
of probation and spiritual exercises. " By 
a special permission of Very Rev. Father 
General, I am to take my last vows on the 



18 An American Missionary 

Feast of the Ascension, May iSth. I shall 
begin my retreat, on the 6th. Pray for me 
especially during this retreat, that God may 
give me the true spirit of the Society, to 
which, in His great mercy. He has called me. 
When we make these vows, we are expected 
to be perfect Jesuits, men who are crucified 
to the world, and to whom the world is cru- 
cified, men who have but one object in life, 
namely, to promote God's greater glory/' 

And now we have an example of how the 
grace of God leads men of good will and of 
generous love to do with ease and joy, what 
less faithful spirits would deem impossible; 
nay, what they themselves, earlier in their 
course, would have thought a romantic fancy 
or a pious dream. 

We have seen how the grace of his voca- 
tion had enabled William Judge to quit the 
busy world, to sever himself from the scenes 
of his youth, and to bid adieu to his friends 
and relatives in the East. He is now in the 
Rocky Mountain Mission, happy in the 
thought that he is soon to do something for 
God and souls. 

But the spirit of charity and zeal urges 
him to go still further. He has heard that 
volunteers are needed for the distant and 
arduous mission of Alaska, and promptly he 
offers himself for the work. Writing to 
Woodstock about this time, he says : '^ I 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 19 

am going to Alaska on the next steamer. I 
offered myself when I first came; but, as 
there are so many who would be happy to be 
sent, I hardly hoped to be selected this year/' 
In a letter to one of his sisters, he speaks of 
the intended step in these terms : '' You 
may have heard, by this time, that I am go- 
ing to Alaska. Much to my joy, I have been 
appointed to join the five Fathers already 
there, and I shall leave about the middle of 
May for San Francisco, where I shall take 
the steamer for St. Michael.'' 

The buoyancy and strength of the mission- 
ary spirit which now animated the young 
Jesuit, are shown in a letter written to con- 
sole his younger sister, in the grief that she 
naturally felt at the thought of his departure 
for so distant a field of labor. 

De Smet Mission, April 27th, 1890. 
Dear Sister: 

Pax Christi ! 
The promptness with which you answered 
my last letter, urges me to write at once, that 
I may thus in some sort allay the sorrow that 
the news of my going to Alaska has caused 
you. Your letter came to me, as mine did to 
you, late in the evening, so that I could not 
read it until this morning. It has edified me 
very much ; for, while I understand fully the 
tears you shed, your spirit of perfect resigna- 



20 An American Missionary 

tion makes me thank God exceedingly. It 
shows me that your sorrow is that true 
Christian sorrow, which our Lord has prom- 
ised will be turned into joy, and which, so 
far from robbing you of the merit of the 
sacrifice that God demands of you, only in- 
creases its value. 

Is it not a coincidence that the Gospel of 
the day,* and my meditation, should be on 
the joy that our Lord promises to those who 
suffer here for his sake? We make this sac- 
rifice because we believe it is pleasing to 
Him; and therefore we may be sure He will 
keep His word and give us a joy that no man 
shall take from us. I am sure neither of us 
would refuse our Lord anything He might 
ask from us, no matter how hard it might be 
to nature. I like very much what you say 
about prayer being our telephone and the 
Sacred Heart the main office. How great 
should be our love and gratitude towards 
God for His great goodness to us! This 
thought affects me very much and makes me 
feel an intense and personal love for God, 
and makes me realize how personal is his 
love for us. He has ever been a most sweet. 



* Gospel of the third Sunday after Easter, St. John xvi, 
in which occur these words of our Lord : " Amen, amen, I 
say to you that you shall lament and weep, but the world 
will rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your 
sorrow shall be turned into joy . . . and your joy no man 
shall take from you." 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 21 

bountiful, and indulgent Father to us, so we 
must try our best to prove ourselves most 
loving children. 

Remember above all that it is our love He 
v^ants, our hearts, and nothing else. He 
stands not in need of our goods or our labor; 
He can do all things by an act of His will, 
but He will not force us to love Him ; and yet 
it is that alone that He cares for, '' Son, give 
me thy heart.'' Let us not refuse it to Him, 
but let us cast ourselves into His arms, and 
tell Him to do with us whatever is most 
pleasing to Him, and to grant that hence- 
forth we may never have any will but to do 
His holy will. From my childhood, I have 
always found an intense pleasure in the ac- 
complishment of God's holy will, and my 
favorite ejaculation has been: '' Lord, only 
be it Thy divine will, and be it done unto me 
a sinner, even unto death !'' 

Such were the sentiments with which 
Father Judge made his retreat at De Smet, 
and took his last vows on the feast of the 
Ascension, May 15th, 1890. 

Though we have no account of the cere- 
mony of that day, we can easily imagine the 
fervor and the joy of soul with which the 
would-be apostle received his Lord in Holy 
Communion, and offered himself once more 
to be all for God. ^' Laetus obtuli universa."* 
* " I have joyfully offered all."—/ Par. xxiv, 17. 



22 An American Missionary 

That must have been a day of joy in the 
humble Mission-house of the Fathers at De 
Smet. 

The little souvenir reproduced on the op- 
posite page is of interest as it gives us auto- 
graphs of Father Judge and other Mission- 
aries of the North West. According to 
Father Barnum, it was Father Joset, the sec- 
ond on the list, that composed the prayer, 
adapting it to the use of the Sons of St. 
Ignatius from the prayer used by the Church 
for the octave of St. Lawrence, August 17th. 
In English it would run thus : '^ Stir up, O 
Lord Jesus, in thy Society, the spirit which 
animated our Blessed Father Ignatius, that 
we being replenished with the same, may 
strive to love what he loved, and to practise 
what he taught.'' 

Almost immediately, on May 17th, our 
Missionary bade farewell to his fellow 
priests and started for the Pacific coast. 
Fifteen days after the feast of the Ascension, 
he wrote from San Francisco. Distance 
seemed only to render stronger the bonds of 
affection for his brothers and sisters, and 
religious devotion elevated and purified that 
affection. In spite of the absorbing duties 
of preparation for the long voyage, he found 
time to write several letters. We may 
quote from these some passages which show 



A. M. D. G. 



fsts 



(Mil 

S8U 






SS8 



Excita, Domine Jesu, in tua Societate «a 

spiritum, cui Beatus Ignatius Pater noster '^ 

servivit, ut ecdem nos repleti, studeamus ?5? 

amare quod amavit et opere exercere quod s|i^ 

8S« 



docuit. Qui vivis 







^<r 



/^«-/ 



/>i^ /*♦«/• *<^^#K 



^8 



ail 



I)Rf>MKT 

SOUVENIR OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION 
Found in Father Judge's Breviary after his death 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 23 

the gratitude and joy that animated him on 
the eve of his departure from San Francisco. 

San Francisco, May 30, 1890. 

Dear Brother: 

Pax Christi ! 

Your last letter came this morning. The 
other I received on the day of my vows, 
together v^ith the '' Vade Mecum''; but, as 
I had only one day to pack up, it v^as im- 
possible for me to w^rite before starting. I 
know not how to acknowledge the many 
marks of kindness you are continually show- 
ing me. My breviaries have been a constant 
reminder of your affection, and now you 
send the " Vade Mecum/' that I may have 
you with me not only while reciting the 
Office, but also when going to visit the sick. 
The boat I am going on — the St. Paul — is 
now in port, but the time of starting has been 
changed to the loth, so I have a little more 
time. I am very glad of the delay; for 
otherwise, I could not answer all the kind 
letters that I have received from members 
of the family and others during the last few 
weeks. You need not envy me the happiness 
that God has been so good as to bestow on 
me by calling me to the Missions, for your 
mission is not less meritorious, and it may 
even be more trying to soul and body. Be- 



24 An American Missionary 

sides, you know that all our perfection 
consists in doing God's holy will, and you 
have no reason to doubt that you are fulfill- 
ing it most perfectly. 

On the same day he wrote to a younger 
brother: '' When I read your letters, so full 
of affection, it is hard to keep back the tears; 
and yet they do not make me sad or unnerve 
me, for I know that by leaving you for our 
dear Lord's sake, I do far more for your hap- 
piness than I could by remaining with you. 
We cannot outdo Him in generosity. He 
always repays, a hundredfold, every little 
sacrifice we make for His sake. If men 
would only believe our Lord when He tells 
them ' My yoke is sweet and my burden 
light,' how much happier they would be both 
now and for all eternity! To me there is 
nothing so sad as to see men, created to 
know and love God here and to be happy 
with Him for all eternity, living like mere 
animals, with no higher aspirations than to 
eat, drink, and enjoy themselves. And yet 
how many thousands there are who live and 
die in these sentiments. 

How thankful we ought to be for the gift 
of faith, and how careful not to lose it. 

Try always to remember that God is our 
father, and heaven our true home, and that 
now we are as travellers, journeying towards 
home, and we must not be cast down if we 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 25 

meet some difficulties and hardships on the 
way; for the more we suffer now for God's 
sake, the more happy we shall be for eter- 
nity." 

On June 4th, he writes to one of his sisters, 
'' I have been so busy preparing for my long 
journey, or rather providing for the time to 
come, that I have not been able to answer 
the many kind letters I have received from 
all sides, wishing me ' God speed ! ^ Now my 
time is so limited, I shall have to be much 
shorter than I would wish. I find that dis- 
tance cannot separate us from our friends, 
for it seems to me that the farther I with- 
draw from you, the nearer I feel; and this is 
especially the case with those who have 
learned how sweet it is to leave all for 
Christ's sake, and to be united with their 
friends in the most loving Heart of Jesus. 
May we ever find a sweet home and a safe 
refuge in that Sacred Heart, and let us plead 
for each other at that throne of grace, until 
our term of exile is past and we meet again 
in Its sweet embraces never more to be sep- 
arated." 

While waiting for the day of departure, he 
paid a visit to the College of the Society in 
Santa Clara, a short distance south of San 
Francisco. No doubt he experienced in both 
places the happiness of being a member of a 
widely spread Order, as he found a home and 



26 An American Missionary 

congenial surroundings in each place. 
Whilst in Santa Clara College, he wrote: 
" When I consider all tliat God has done for 
me, it fills me with a most ardent desire to 
do and suffer great things for His glory, and 
awakens in me a most childlike love and an 
unbounded confidence in Him. Let us then 
once for all resign ourselves into the hands 
of our loving Father, and take care never to 
desire anything but what He pleases to or- 
dain both for ourselves and for our friends, 
and for all and in all things. Then all the 
changes of Superiors, companions, places 
of abode, etc., will have no power to disturb 
our peace of soul, but will rather make us 
happier, because we shall rejoice to see the 
will of our dear Father thus accompHshed.'' 

Returned to San Francisco, he wrote the 
night before his departure for Alaska : " I 
cannot tell you how happy I feel. I thank 
God exceedingly for His great goodness to 
me, and hope you will help me to make some 
return of gratitude for so many favors." 

One day earlier, he wrote to his Superior: 
" We shall sail on the St. Paul on Tuesday, 
loth, at II A. M. All here have been very 
kind, have given me many things, and helped 
me in many ways. I am sorry I have no 
word to take to Fr. Tosi about the Sisters. 
My health is good, and I was never happier 
in my life. May God grant me grace and 



The Rocky Mountain Mission 27 

strength to do and suffer something for His 
glory/' Thus it was with buoyant spirits 
and a joyful heart, that on June loth, 1890, 
our missionary embarked for the distant 
Mission of Alaska, practically bidding adieu 
to his own country. 



CHAPTER IV. 
OFF FOR ALASKA. 
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations." — Matt, xxviii, 19. 

WE can imagine with what feehngs of 
mingled joy and hope Father Judge 
stood upon the deck of the St. Paul, that 
June morning, and, with all the supplies and 
presents for the Mission safe on board, and 
the faithful Brother by his side, watched the 
deck hands casting off and hauling in the 
hawsers that held the steamer to her moor- 
ings. There was the usual feeling of relief 
and repose after a busy season of prepara- 
tion and farewell; but there were also 
sentiments of joy and gratitude as he realized 
that now he was actually a Missionary, 
about to imitate in an humble way the Apos- 
tle whose name, by a happy coincidence, the 
vessel bore — St. Paul. 

The voyage was to be a long one, lasting 
over a month, with one or two stops between 
San Francisco and St. Michael; the first 
stage being an uninterrupted run across the 
waters of the Pacific to Unalaska Island. 

28 



Off for Alaska 29 

We have only one letter written during the 
thirteen days of this, Father Judge's first ex- 
perience of ocean travel, and we give the 
greater part of it here. 

On the Pacific, 2,000 miles from San 
Francisco, 

June 22nd, 1890. 
Dear Sister: 

I have been listening to you for the last 
half-hour speaking through your letters. 

My rule has been not to keep letters after 
I have answered them, but I have made an 
exception with regard to the six that you 
have written since you heard of my appoint- 
ment to the Alaskan Mission. I have felt 
that they would be useful to me as spiritual 
reading during the year; for, I assure you 
that your letters have always had the effect 
of spurring me on to greater generosity in 
God's holy service. 

This is the first attempt that I have made 
to write on the boat, so you must not wonder 
at the character of the writing, as the vessel 
is not over steady. 

I do not remember whether I told you 
about my visit to Victoria, or not. From De 
Smet I went to Spokane Falls for a few days, 
then by rail to Tacoma, a fine growing City 
on Puget Sound, where I took a steamer for 
Victoria, Vancouver Island. Victoria is an 



30 An American Missionary 

old town, with about forty thousand inhabi- 
tants. There I saw our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. 
J. N. Lemmens, and returned to Tacoma the 
next day. 

Thence I went straight on to Portland, 
Oregon, where I arrived on Saturday after- 
noon (May 24th), the eve of Pentecost, and 
stopped at the Archbishop's in order to be 
able to say Mass on Sunday.* 

Portland is a fine large city, with a Cathe- 
dral and four or five other churches. All 
these cities would surprise a person from the 
East. Though they have not the population 
of the great eastern cities, they have all the 
appearance of large cities, and no doubt they 
will soon be such. From Portland I came 
direct to San Francisco, a distance of about 
seven hundred miles. It takes two days to 
make the journey, on account of the heavy 
grades on the mountains. The scenery 
is the grandest that I have witnessed 
anywhere. The road winds up the moun- 
tains like a serpent, and at some points you 
can see below you three and even five sec- 
tions of track, over which you have passed. 
In Oregon the weather was warm, but when 

♦The Most Rev. Wm. H. Gross was Archbishop of Port- 
land at the time. If Father Judge found his Grace at home, 
he must have been encouraged by the genial manner and 
the earnest zeal of the good Prelate, who was himself full 
of the Apostolic devotion, and the energetic charity of a 
Missionary. 



Off for Alaska 31 

we reached San Francisco, to my surprise, 
overcoats were quite comfortable; and yet 
one sees palm-trees and vegetation of all 
kinds proper to a warm climate. It seems 
that although the sun is strong, the breeze 
from the water keeps it from ever being very 
hot, and besides there is a great deal of 
cloudy weather. The forenoons are gener- 
ally warm and the afternoons cool during 
the whole year. 

As I told you before, we left San Francisco 
on the loth, a few minutes after eleven 
o'clock. The day was fine, but there was a 
strong breeze which made the sea a little 
rough. About one o'clock, I tried to take 
some dinner, but did not keep it long, and I 
did not make another attempt to eat until 
the evening of the second day. It was only 
on Saturday, the 14th, that I felt perfectly 
well again. After the first few days the sea 
was quite calm, and we enjoyed the voyage 
very much until the i8th, when it got very 
rough and I had to fast again until evening. 
When the vessel rolls very much, even some 
of the old hands feel it. We are expecting 
to see land this evening, and I hope to be at 
Unalaska Island, our first stopping place, in 
time to say Mass to-morrow — a happiness 
I have not had since we left San Francisco. 

With the exception of a few days that I 
was sick, the time has passed very pleasantly. 



32 An American Missionary 

I brought with me a flute and some music, 
which, with my Office and the reading of 
some books, have made the days seem short. 
I had not played any since I entered the So- 
ciety; but, to my surprise, I find I can 
manage the flute very well. Music is use- 
ful on the Mission, as the Indians like to 
sing, and an instrument helps greatly to give 
them the air. We have only eight fellow 
passengers, and all of them are going up on 
business for the Fur Company, except one 
man, not a Minister, going to help at the 
Episcopalian Mission, not far from one of 
ours, and two young ladies sent out by the 
Moravian Church, which has several Mis- 
sions some distance south of the Yukon. 

The letter was continued, after landing, as 
follows : 

Unalaska Island,* June 24th, 1890. 

We sighted land Sunday evening (22nd) 
but did not get into port until yesterday 
(Monday) morning, about six o'clock. 

As soon as the boat was made fast, I said 
Mass in my stateroom for the first time since 
we left the continent. There is here a nice 
Httle settlement, with about 200 residents, 
whites and natives. All the former are em- 

* See map at the end of this book. 




# 



Off for Alaska 33 

ployed by the Alaska Commercial Company, 
or by the United States Government, and the 
natives work for both. 

The whites here have no doubt that the 
natives are of Japanese descent. There are 
many points of resemblance. Like the 
Japanese, these natives are very intelligent 
and extremely handy in making all kinds of 
carving and woven work. They say that a 
Japanese, who came to these islands not long 
ago, could understand the natives and be un- 
derstood by them. 

Both the Brother and myself are very well. 
Last evening I visited the Custom-house 
Officer, whose wife is a Catholic. I have 
promised to take tea with them this evening. 
They pride themselves here on their '' Rus- 
sian tea " : even the natives, who are poor, 
have fine urns for making tea in Russian 
fashion. I have not tried it yet, but I expect 
to do so this evening. I feel exceedingly 
grateful to God for the fine voyage we have 
had thus far. St. Michael is about eight 
hundred miles from here; but we shall have 
to go two or three hundred miles out of our 
way to land one of the passengers. We 
shall very likely leave here to-morrow, and 
reach St. Michael before the Fourth of July. 
I must say ''Good-by!'' for the present. 
May God bless you and all your good Sisters 
in Religion. 



34 An American Missionary 

I remember you all every day in my 
prayers and at Mass, when I can say it. 
Again '' Good-by! '' May the Divine Heart 
of Jesus ever grant you Its most abundant 
consolation! 

Writing on the same day to his Superior, 
he says : '' These Islands, as far as I have 
seen, are clumps of high mountains covered 
with grass and moss; no trees are visible. It 
is generally cloudy and it rains nearly every 
day. It is not cold now and, even in winter, 
the temperature, they say, is never below 
zero. There is here a Russian church which 
the natives attend. They keep the Czar's 
birthday as a holiday and know nothing 
about the United States. Fine coal-mines 
have been discovered on the peninsula be- 
tween this and the mainland, and they expect 
to have a great coaling station for all Pacific 
steamers. It is still daylight here at lo P. 
M., and yesterday morning I was up soon 
after 3 o'clock and it was already bright day. 
From what those who have been to St. 
Michael say, it seems the weather is quite 
mild there now. August is rainy, and the 
cold begins in September and October." 

He found time that same day for another 
letter to one of his sisters, in which he says: 
" We arrived here safely yesterday, after 
thirteen days on the Pacific. We had an 



Off for Alaska 35 

unusually pleasant trip, they say, thanks no 
doubt to the prayers of my many friends. 
During the first two days I was very sick, 
but after that I got used to the motion and 
enjoyed the voyage. The greatest part of 
our journey is over; we have left the ocean 
and have now to cross Bering Sea, which, 
they say, is much calmer than the Pacific. 
They have very little sunshine in this part 
of the world; it is cloudy most of the time. 
The temperature was about 50"" all the way 
out, and it is about the same now. They 
say it does not go below zero here in winter. 
I do not think I shall find it as bad in Alaska 
as is generally thought; but, whatever 
comes, I am sure that, with the help of your 
prayers and those of my other friends, it will 
all be sweet. I am very well and happy and 
anxious to get to work. I pray for you 
every day. Good-by! May God bless you 
all ! " 

The day after these letters were written 
was the feast of St. William, Father Judge's 
patron Saint; and the joy of saying Mass on 
that day must have been some compensation 
for the privation of Mass and Communion 
which he had to endure on the feast of St. 
Aloysius, the 21st of June, a day so dear to 
all the members of the Societv of Jesus. 

The party evidently remained at Unalaska 
until the evening of the 26th or the morning 



36 An American Missionary 

of the 27th. Then the St. Paul, weighing 
anchor once more, headed her course north- 
east along the Alaskan Peninsula to Bristol 
Bay. As intimated above, this departure 
from the direct route to St. Michael was nec- 
essary in order to land a lady passenger at 
the Moravian Mission on the Nushagak 
River. Our voyager did not find Bering Sea 
so calm as he might have expected, as we 
shall see from the following letter which he 
wrote after the steamer made land. 

Nushagak, Alaska, July 4th, 1890. 
Dear Sister: 

I know you are anxious to hear from me 
now that I am so far away; so I take the 
occasion offered by a sailing vessel, which 
we have met here and which will start soon 
for San Francisco, to let you know that I 
have arrived thus far without accident. This 
place is only about three hundred miles from 
where I wrote last; but, on account of a 
storm that made it too rough to come in, we 
were just seven days getting here instead of 
three. We have yet at least eight hundred 
miles to go before we reach St. Michael. I 
thought we would be there to-day, but now 
we cannot make it before the nth or 12th. 

God has been so good to me at all times, 
but especially during the past year, that I 



Off for Alaska 37 

am convinced that He has heard your 
prayers for your little brother; and I am en- 
couraged to hope that He will be pleased to 
use so unworthy an instrument to help these 
poor souls so dear to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus. Always remember that you can save 
souls as well in the convent as on the Mis- 
sion, for prayer is the most powerful of all 
the means of salvation. May God bless you 
always ! 

It was a novel way to spend the Fourth of 
July, moored in an Alaskan harbor. The 
thought of the '' Fourth '' inspires a page 
that he wrote to his youngest brother. '' As 
I am so fortunate as to fall in with another 
vessel bound for San Francisco, I must give 
you the benefit of it and spend a little while 
with you on this great day, imagining I see 
you sending off fireworks for the children; 
for, although it is only two o'clock here, it 
is eight o'clock with you. This would be a 
bad place for fireworks, as it seems never to 
get dark at this season. One can read at 
ten o'clock at night, and I cannot say how 
much later; and it seems impossible to get up 
before the sun. 

This place (Nushagak) is on a river of the 
same name, which empties into Bering Sea 
north of the Peninsula. There are four 
salmon canneries on the river. A gentleman 



38 An American Missionary 

who came on board this morning from one 
of them, said they caught thirty thousand 

salmon yesterday My health is very 

good. I believe the voyage is making me 
fat. God grant I may use all the strength 
He gives me for His glory ! '' 

We have no record of the seven or eight 
days spent in going from Nushagak to St. 
Michael. The St. Paul had to retrace her 
course and take up again the route from 
Unalaska to St. Michael. It would seem to 
the uninitiated, that the natural course 
would have been to pass along the coast and 
through Etolin Strait.* But that is rendered 
impossible by the immense deposits of sand, 
earth, drift-wood, and debris of all kinds 
brought down and cast forth by the Yukon 
and the Kuskokwim. Thus the water near 
the shore is so shallow that steamers are 
obliged to keep forty miles or more from 
land, and to pass to the west of Nunivak 
Island. They then steer northward sighting 
the eastward extremity of St. Lawrence 
Island, and curving northeast towards Cape 
Nome and Cape Darby, descend to St. 
Michael. 

Whatever may have been the experiences 
of this week on the water, when our Mis- 
sionary reached St. Michael he was too busy 

* See map. 



Off for Alaska 39 

to write about them. A week after his arri- 
val, he wrote to his Superior: 

St. Michael, July 20, 1890. 

Rev. and dear Father Superior, P. C. 

Brother and I arrived here last Sunday 
evening, the 13th, nearly thirty-four days 
from San Francisco. I sent you two letters 
on the way, one from Unalaska, and one 
from Nushagak, which you should have 
received before this. We found Father 
Tosi and Father Treca waiting for us. 
The first thing they asked was : '' Where 
are the Sisters?'' And I cannot tell 
you how disappointed they were when I 
told them no Sisters were with us; 
and all the people here were equally dis- 
appointed. Everybody is praising the Sis- 
ters' school. Mr. Petroff, a Russian, who is 
taking the census, was here a few days ago ; 
he had just come down the Yukon and had 
stopped at the school, where the children 
gave him a specimen of what they could do 
in reading, speaking, etc. I heard him say, 
" I am ashamed of my church ; we have been 
here for fifty years and have not done as 
much as you have done in two or three." 
From all I hear and see, I am sure we can get 
all the children we can accommodate. The 
Sisters have made a good impression on all 



40 An American Missionary 

classes, and the disappointment at not seeing 
more come is great in proportion. I hope 
you will be able to get us six for next year; 
for schools seem to be more necessary here 
than anywhere else. The Indians are most 
anxious to learn and are very smart. 

A letter written in August to a fellow 
priest gives us some interesting details of 
Father Judge's first work in Alaska. 

St. Michael, Alaska, Aug. 17, 1890. 

Dear Father Laure, P. C. 

We arrived here just five weeks ago to- 
day. I had no idea then that I would be here 
so long. Father Tosi and Brother Cunning- 
ham left three weeks ago for Koserefsky on 
one of the Company's steamers, leaving me 
here to look after the provisions for all three 
Missions. We bought a little steamer from 
the Company, and it left here on the ist of 
August with Father Treca and his provis- 
ions, for Cape Vancouver, which is on the 
coast about four hundred miles to the south, 
where he and Father Muset with a Brother 
have been since last fall. They have a small 
log-house, which they built themselves, and 
which is divided in two, one half being used 
for a church and school, the other half for a 
dwelling. Both of them picked up the Ian- 



Off for Alaska 41 

guage very quickly and are doing great 
good; they have baptized more than two 
hundred already. 

I am v^aiting for our steamer to return 
and take me and the provisions up the river 
to Koserefsky and Nulato; the former is 
about four hundred miles from St. Michael, 
and the latter six hundred. I expect to re- 
main at Koserefsky, and I think Father Ro- 
baut will go to Nulato with Father Ragaru. 
The latter, I believe, has been without flour 
for two months, unless he has been able to 
borrow some lately from the boats going up 
the river, which I doubt; so he must be look- 
ing anxiously for the steamer. 

The weather has been unusually windy for 
this time of the year, which has made the 
sea too rough for small steamers, and has 
very much delayed both ours and those of 
the Company. The best idea I can give you 
of this place is to ask you to recall the villa 
of St. Inigoes.* If, instead of the houses 
there, you imagine a dozen large log-houses 
one story and a half high, and the Russian 
church as shown in the photograph at De 
Smet; and, on the Rosecroft side, a range of 
mountains, you will have a good picture of 
St. Michael. All the houses belong to the 
Company and are used as dwellings and of- 

*In St. Mary's Co., Md., on the peninsula between the 
Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. 



42 An American Missionary 

fices for their agents, and as store-houses for 
their goods. The Russian priest does not 
live here and seldom comes. There is a 
small village of natives about a mile distant 
on the other side of the island. There were 
a great many Indians here when the St. Paul 
came, living in tents; they come every year 
to help in unloading the steamers, for which 
they are paid. These Indians are very dif- 
ferent from yours — finer looking, fond of 
work, anxious to learn, and very good-na- 
tured. I think they would make good Cath- 
olics. The country is also quite different 
from what I expected; there are no trees on 
the coast, but it is all covered with grass and 
moss, and has a pleasing appearance. It is 
not the barren waste I expected to find. 

Nor is it so terribly cold as we were led to 
believe. From May to October, and some- 
times much later, it is about the same as at 
present — that is a temperature ranging 
from 40° to 60° or 70*", and the coldest 
weather they had here last winter was 40"" 
below zero, and at Koserefsky 45"". All these 
temperatures and those that follow are, of 
course, Farenheit. The following is taken 
from an official report for the years 1879 
and 1880: — 



Off for Alaska 43 

THERMOMETER AT ST. MICHAEL. 

Mean. Min'm. Max'm. 

July 53 36 68 

August 50 35 62 

September 45 19 58 

October 26 13 42 

November 17 —12 36 

December 6 —32 36 

January • — 19 — 45 16 

February — 41 ? 

March 8 —37 ? 

April 19 —27 ? 

May 28 — 1 ? 

June — not given, but about the same as July. 

So you see it is not so bad; for the most 
part, nothing worse than you have already 
experienced; so you need not be frightened 
if you get orders next year to come to St. 
Michael. All the whites and those of the na- 
tives who can get them, live in ordinary log- 
houses, and say they are warm enough. 
Most of the natives live in tents in summer 
and in baraboras* in winter. If it were not 
for the frequent rain it would be very fine 
here in summer; but, as at every place on this 
coast, it rains nearly every day. Up the 
river however, they say it is much better; 
even here, the Agent has a garden of rad- 
ishes, turnips, spinach, lettuce, etc., and 
Father Tosi cultivates cabbage and potatoes. 

I have tried to give you, as best I can, my 
impressions of the place after five weeks' 

♦Alaskan huts — See page 58. 



44 An American Missionary 

observation, and I hope they will enable you 
to form a more correct idea of it. 

I forgot to state that there are a good 
many wild flowers here, and also three kinds 
of wild berries — the salmon berry, the blue 
berry and the red currant; they all grow on 
creeping vines and are very plentiful. 

Many of the useful things which you gave 
me have done good service already, and your 
flute which I got at Spokane, is my best 
friend. It helped very much to make the 
time pass pleasantly on the steamer, and now 
I find it a good companion. I have been 
kept quite busy arranging and packing the 
supplies for the different missions, but I have 
finished that, and I am now trying to make a 
beginning with the Indian language. There 
is a half-breed boy here, who is helping me, 
so that the time I am detained here will not 
be wholly lost. Father Muset did not leave 
until the 14th of November; that is, as soon 
as the bay was frozen over. It would be 
good for those who come to have a stand, 
and a waterproof cover for their chapel, rub- 
ber boots, coat, and cap, as there is so much 
rain here in the summer. We have a room 
in the Company's house this year, which was 
intended for the Sisters; if they had come, 
we would have had to camp out in a tent. I 
have told you all I can think of that might 



Off for Alaska 45 

interest you. I need hardly add that I am 
well and happy. 

Best wishes and kind regards to all. 

Your brother in Christ, 

Wm. H. Judge. 

The foregoing letter is supplemented by 
one written five days later to one of his 
sisters : — 

St. Michael, Alaska, 
Aug. 22nd, 1890. 
Dear Sister: — 

This will be a Httle surprise for you. You 
see, by the heading, that I am still at St. 
Michael. It is nearly six weeks since I ar- 
rived, and I did not expect to be here as many 
days. The U. S. Revenue Cutter, the Bear, 
Captain Healy, is here on her way to San 
Francisco from the Arctic, where she has 
been on her annual cruise, and it is by her 
that I send this — it is the last chance this 
year. 

The Captain, who is a brother of Bishop 
Healy, and of our Father Healy, has his wife 
with him. They have invited me to take din- 
ner with them on the steamer this evening. 

I am more than pleased with what I have 
seen both of the country and the natives. 
The natives are very good-natured, quick, 
and anxious to learn. Many of them are 



46 An American Missionary 

fine-looking and very intelligent. Pray for 
our good Indians that they may have the 
grace to embrace the true faith, which has 
brought us so much happiness ; that so they 
may share our joy. Good-by! May God 
bless you and all your community ! 



CHAPTER V. 
ON THE YUKON. 

"I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your 
souls." — 11. Cor., xii, IS. 

THE Missionary is now in the field; and 
the work demands all his energy, atten- 
tion, and devotion. He will have little time 
to write letters, and less facility for sending 
them to the East. 

And here it is well to recall the state of 
communication with Alaska in the nineties, 
before the discovery of gold in the Klondike. 
The territory was little known and little 
spoken of. There was no mail to Alaska, and 
letters were not accepted for delivery there. 
Correspondence had to be directed in care 
of some one in San Francisco, to be for- 
warded by the steamer that left, once a year, 
for St. Michael. The return mail followed a 
similar course. A letter from the Yukon 
Missions took about two months to reach 
Baltimore; and, when handed to the eager re- 
cipient, it was redolent of bacon, tar, or other 
ship's stores, owing to its long voyage across 
Bering Sea and the Pacific. The Alaskan 

47 



48 An American Missionary 

Missionary was as effectually cut off from 
the outside world, as if he were in China or 
the interior of Africa. 

On these annual letters, which Father 
Judge wrote to his brethren in the Society 
or to members of his family, and a few others 
sent when an opportunity offered, we must 
depend to follow him in his work from 1890 
to 1897. 

The reader need not look for elegance of 
diction in these letters, which were not in- 
tended for publication, and were often 
written under difficulties. The unstudied 
narrative of the Missionary's work has 
pleased those who have heard or read it, 
more than fine phrases or rhetorical descrip- 
tions would have done. 

The work of the first year in Alaska is 
summed up in the following letter: — 

St. Michael, Alaska, 
Dear Brother: June 30th, 1891. 

I know you and all the family will be 
anxious to hear how I have spent my first 
year in this unknown land, so I will try to 
give you as faithful an account as I can, and 
you will have to pass it to all our brothers 
and sisters, as it would be impossible for me 
to write at length to all. 

I thought to begin my letters during the 
year, but I have been so very busy that it 



On the Yukon 49 

was simply impossible. I made the days 
as long as possible — often from five A. M. 
to twelve P. M., and yet they were not long 
enough. 

I reached the Mission on the i6th of Sep- 
tember, and found there Father Tosi, our 
Superior, and Father Robaut, who left for 
Nulato, two hundred miles up the Yukon, 
the next day; also two Brothers, and three 
Sisters of St. Ann, and fifty children. The 
Mission is located on the right (west) bank 
of the Yukon, about four hundred miles from 
the coast, on a level piece of land about a 
quarter of a mile wide, with high mountains 
to the west and north. Both the mountain 
and the plain are covered with thick woods 
of spruce, birch, and cottonwood. We have 
cleared about ten acres. For the Sisters' 
house and school we have a log-house seven- 
ty-five feet long by twenty feet wide, and 
one and a half stories high; and for ourselves 
another, forty-six by twenty-four feet, the 
same height; and a church thirty by twenty 
feet. 

Until last March the present church had 
to serve for everything. It was divided into 
six rooms, two for the Fathers, one for 
kitchen, one for chapel, one for dining-room, 
&c., and one for the Indians when they came 
to trade, &c. The chapel had large doors, 
which we opened for Mass, Benediction, &c., 



50 An American Missionary 

making the chapel, dining-room, and Indian 
room all into one; and sometimes we had as 
many as eighty in it. The upper story 
served as a dormitory for thirteen larger 
boys and the two Brothers, and as a store- 
room for provisions. Although it was very 
small for the purpose, it was quite comfort- 
able, and required little fire to keep it warm. 

I am quite sure I suffered less from the 
cold last winter than you did. We did not 
keep fire at night generally, and had only one 
stove, which was in the common room, into 
which all the others opened, and yet it froze 
in my room only two nights when it was 50° 
below zero. Since we got into the new house 
we have been very comfortable, and the boys, 
twenty-two now, have a fine high dormitory. 
We have turned the old house into a church 
and it looks right well for these parts. I 
papered the sanctuary and whitewashed the 
body of the church after filling up the cracks 
between the logs with mortar, and painted 
the six windows in imitation of frosted glass, 
making the centre panes red, so as to form 
a red cross, and the others white. I painted 
the altar white; and, with some fine altar- 
cloths, ten silver candlesticks, and some 
flowers, all of which, though not new, are 
very good and were given to me by our 
Fathers in California, it makes a very re- 
spectable-looking altar. The sanctuary is 



On the Yukon 51 

covered with matting made by the Indians, 
which is nearly as good as what you buy. 
Thanks to the generosity of the Altar So- 
ciety in Washington we are well supplied 
with vestments. 

Now for the events of the year. The day 
after I arrived at the Mission, while carrying 
a heavy box, about three hundred pounds, I 
slipped, and it fell on my leg, and although 
it did not break it, it bruised it very badly 
and made it so stiff that I could not make 
a decent genuflection for three months; but, 
thank God, I was able to keep about and did 
not miss Mass once. At Christmas we used 
as a church the new house, which was then 
under roof, but had no partitions in it yet. 
In the corner, at the Gospel side of the altar, 
I fixed a very pretty crib, with a fine set of 
figures painted on tin by a Brother in Spo- 
kane Falls. The Rector gave them to me 
when I was coming away. They are in six 
groups, and I like them better than those 
that I paid $130 for, when in Frederick. The 
church was dressed with evergreens, and 
looked quite Christmas-like. Father Tosi 
sang midnight Mass, and in the morning at 
nine o'clock we baptized thirty-four children 
of the school. Afterwards I sang High 
Mass, which was over at one o'clock. At 
two o'clock we had Benediction. There 
were about sixty Indians from the village 



52 An American Missionary 

at Mass and Benediction. At three o'clock 
I dressed up in fur from head to foot and 
played Santa Claus for the children. They 
did not know who it was, and enjoyed it very 
much. Thus ended my first Christmas in 
Alaska, and I do not think I ever spent a 
happier one. 

On the loth of February I started with a 
sleigh and seven dogs to visit the Indians on 
the Shagaluk river, which runs into the 
Yukon a little below us. I had a boy for my 
interpreter and a man to help with the 
sleigh. The first day we went only fifteen 
miles to an empty barabora, as the Indian 
houses are called. They are built of logs, 
starting three or four feet below the ground, 
in this shape. 




They are from twelve to twenty feet or 
more square, and eight to twelve feet high, 
and covered with clay, so that they look like 
hillocks, rather than houses. The door is a 
hole two or three feet high covered with 
a piece of skin or matting, and generally 
it is reached through an under-ground pas- 



On the Yukon 53 

sage of the same size, through which you 
have to crawl to get in; this is to protect 
the inmates better from the cold. In the 
centre of the roof there is a window two or 
three feet square covered with a piece of 
bladder or thin skin, which admits all the 
light needed. On three sides there is a 
bench or shelf about six feet wide and 
eighteen inches above the floor, which they 
cover with mats; and there they sit in the 
day time, and sleep at night with their heads 
to the wall and their feet towards the middle 
of the room. In the centre of the floor just 
under the window, they make the fire, once 
or twice a day, and when it is out they close 
the window, and the room remains comfort- 
able all day even in the coldest weather. 

In every village there is what is called the 
Casino."^ It is a building just like a bara- 
bora only it is very much larger, generally 
thirty to forty feet square and fifteen to 
twenty-five feet high, and instead of the 
broad berths for sleeping, there is a narrow 
shelf about two feet wide and three feet high 
running all around. The Casino is for the 
men ; they work there during the day making 
sleighs or snow-shoes, dressing skins, &c. 

*This Alaskan inn or club-house is called by the natives 
" Kazhga," and by the Russians " Kazhim " or barracks. 
The Russian word has been variously rendered " Kachime," 
"Cazine," or " Casine " and "Casino." This last expresses 
the idea better than any other word in our vocabulary. 



54 An American Missionary 

Their wives or children bring their meals to 
them, which they eat, sitting tailor-fashion 
on the shelf, while their wives sit on the floor 
ready to wait on them. The young men 
also sleep on the shelf, and all travellers are 
lodged in the Casino. It is also used for 
their dances and all pubHc meetings. 

To return to my trip. As soon as we had 
put our things into the barabora we made a 
fire, cooked our supper and went to bed. 
Next morning I said Mass, we took break- 
fast and started. Soon we met three Indian 
sleighs going our way and we gave them 
part of our load; at noon we stopped and 
cooked some fish for dinner, and about three 
o'clock we reached a log house belonging to 
an Indian, where we stopped for the night. 
Next morning I said Mass, made a little in- 
struction, took breakfast and started for the 
first village, which we reached at four 
o'clock, and took up our abode in the Casino. 

As soon as I went in, I found all the In- 
dians sitting around as quiet as mice, and I 
saw that they had up what they call ^' spirit- 
sticks." These are four sticks about six feet 
high, painted different colors, with feathers 
stuck into them here and there. They place 
these sticks one at each end of the Casino, 
and one at each side; and while they are 
there, no one can speak loud or do any work. 
The Indians firmly beheve that these sticks 



On the Yukon 55 

have the power to kill them or do them good. 
When I went to hang up my coat on one of 
the sticks, they said '' No/' because the 
spirits would hurt them if I did. When I 
had taken my supper I spoke to them, show- 
ing how foolish it was to believe that those 
sticks could hurt them, and I then asked 
them to let me break them up. The young 
people were willing and I was just going to 
do it when some old women cried out: 
" Our souls are in those sticks, if you break 
them we will all die,'' and then some old men 
jumped up and grabbed the sticks and I 
could not prevail on them to let me break 
them up. But they promised never to bring 
them into the Casino again. 

I staid there two days teaching the chil- 
dren. I baptized three infants and one old 
woman, the mother of one of our school 
girls, who had never been baptized, heard 
the confession of her husband, whom I bap- 
tized conditionally, and then married them. 
They did not belong to the village, but lived 
alone about ten miles below it. They do 
not believe in the sticks and seemed to be 
good people anxious to do what is right. I 
was just in time, for the old man died sud- 
denly, a few days afterwards. They wanted 
me to stay longer but I told them I could do 
nothing for them as long as they refused to 
break up the sticks. 



56 An American Missionary 

Then I went ten miles further to a small 
village of very good people, who did not be- 
lieve in the sticks and were anxious to learn 
the prayers. They have no doctors or 
medicine men. These doctors are our great- 
est obstacle, they have most of the people 
completely in their power. They pretend 
to have great power to kill or cure by their 
incantations and also to be able to cause the 
fish and game to come or not as they please, 
and the poor people believe it all firmly. 
Sometimes they put all the people in the 
Casino with strict orders not to leave it, and 
then they (the doctors) go out, telling the 
people they are going to the moon, and after 
several hours they go to the Casino and tell 
all they have seen and learned there. There 
is nothing, no matter how foolish, the doc- 
tors may say, that can shake the faith of the 
people in them. Many of them are ventrilo- 
quists, hence they make the spirit-sticks and 
also the dead appear to speak. Father 
Ragaru saw one of them making a dead child 
speak and showed him up, much to his dis- 
pleasure. 

To return to my trip. At this village I 
staid four days, taught the people a short 
offering of themselves and of their actions 
to God, the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory 
be to the Father, &c., and the formula for 
baptizing in danger of death; all of which 



On the Yukon 



57 



they learned well, as also a little hymn, and 
two chapters of catechism. There I bap- 
tized one infant and twenty-eight others, and 
married seven couples. I also taught them 
how to know the days of the week, so that 
they could keep Sunday and Friday. I did 
it in this way, and they liked it. I took a 
piece of board, and cut it, and marked it 
thus: 



A 



^ • » • 



o o o o o o o 



The triangle I told them was for God's 
day or the first day, then two holes for the 
second day, three for the third day, four for 
the fourth, five for the fifth, and a fish for 
Friday, and seven holes for Saturday. I put 
a pin, which they were to move downward, 
one hole every day, until they got to the bot- 
tom, and then jump to the top again. I met 
one of them several weeks after I left, and 
he had a small one of the indicators nicely 
made to carry in his pocket, and had the pin 
in the right hole. 



58 An American Missionary 

When I left that village I went to another 
six miles up the river, the Shagaluk, and as 
soon as I got there they told me there v^as 
an old man very sick at a village two miles 
further, on the other side of the river; so I 
left my sleigh and everything else, and went 
to see the sick man. I found when I got there 
that he was an old man, very sick, who had 
never been baptized. So, after giving him 
some medicine to try to relieve his pain, I 
prepared both him and his wife for baptism, 
and promised to return in the morning. Next 
day as soon as I had said Mass and taken a 
little breakfast, I went over and found him 
very low. There was no time to lose. I bap- 
tized him and his wife, and gave him Ex- 
treme Unction. In less than an hour he died. 
It looked as though he had been waiting for 
me to come to baptize him. 

I went back to the other village, and 
stayed there two days, teaching the children 
the prayers and catechism, but I could not 
do anything with the old people, because, as 
at the first village, they would not give up 
the sticks. I baptized one infant, two young 
men and one young woman belonging to the 
second village, and married a couple. The 
young woman has died since. Then I went 
over to the village where the old man died. 
I knew that it would be useless to try to get 
them to give him Christian burial, so I did 



On the Yukon 59 

not try. When I got there, they had the 
body sitting in the Casino, with a dish of fish 
and a can of water beside it, and all the wo- 
men and children were sitting around on the 
floor looking at it. But it is at night that they 
have the principal part of the funeral rites. 
They keep the body four days, and every 
night they sing and dance from about six 
P. M. to six A. M. in this way. The women 
sit on the floor around the corpse, and behind 
them the children stand shaking themselves 
from side to side and up and down, by bend- 
ing their knees a little, and behind them 
again the young men stand beating sticks 
together and singing a song composed for 
the occasion, referring to the life of the dead 
person, to a tune that sounds like ya-ya, ya- 
ya. They beat the sticks and sing as hard as 
they can until they are all in a sweat, and 
then others take their place, and they keep 
that up the whole night. The old men sit on 
the shelf and look on. The only source of 
light is a dim taper burning in a dish of oil 
before the corpse. While they were thus 
performing their antics, I fixed up my bed in 
one corner of the shelf and turned in, and 
although I often woke up, I managed to get 
enough sleep. I shall not soon forget that 
night. It was the most savage-looking thing 
I have seen. I am sure a New York paper 
would be glad to have a photograph of it. 



60 An American Missionary 

Next day I started for another village 
about forty miles off, because I could not 
teach the children after they had been up all 
night dancing, but I promised to call on my 
way back. When I reached the village in the 
evening I went to the Casino as usual. They 
were glad to see me and I stayed, I think, 
four days, teaching the children all day; but 
as they, like the others, would not give up 
their superstitions, I could not do much for 
them. Then I returned again to where the 
man had died, but I could not do anything 
but teach the children, as the doctors kept 
the people strong in their superstition. From 
there I crossed over to a large village on the 
Yukon called Anvik, about forty-five miles 
from the other, where there is an Episcopa- 
lian minister. I did not go to his house, but 
put up in the Casino — his house is across 
the river from the village. It was late when 
we reached there, so after supper we went to 
bed. The Casino was so crowded that I 
could not get a place on the shelf, so I fixed 
my bed on the floor, — just as good. For 
my bed I have fallen heir to Archbishop 
Seghers^ travelling bed, which is a large 
bearskin.* He was lying on it when he was 

*This bearskin is now in the museum of Georgetown 
University. Father Judge used it for five years, taking it 
with him up the Yukon to Forty Mile Post. In 1896 Father 
Barnum sent the interesting relic to Georgetown. On Arch- 
bishop Seghers, see p. 105. 



On the Yukon 61 

killed, and it has his name painted in large 
letters on the back. I use it all the time, both 
at home and when travelling. 

I said Mass in the morning and had a good 
congregation. While we were taking our 
breakfast, the minister came in to hire some 
men to work for him, and was not a little 
surprised to see me there. I told the Indians 
I did not stop with the minister, because I 
did not want them to think that I approved 
his religious teaching, but that I would go 
to see him so that he would not be angry 
with them. It pleased them that I stopped 
in the Casino instead of at the minister's. 
Very few go to his church on Sunday. I 
went over and took dinner with the rev. 
gentleman and told him plainly why I did 
not stop at his house. My frankness pleased 
him and he was as kind as could be. I stayed 
in Anvik one day and did not teach, as I did 
not wish to make open war with the min- 
ister. I expect to go there frequently this 
year and don't think the minister will be able 
to keep me from making the people Catho- 
lics. From Anvik I came towards home, 
about fifteen miles, to a small village, Bane- 
jilla, where I did some good; because like the 
people of the other small village, the second 
I visited, the inhabitants of Banejilla have no 
Shaman nor sticks, and besides some natives 
from the second village, by telling how I 



62 An American Missionary 

taught, made them anxious to see me. I 
stayed three days teaching the prayers and 
catechism, baptized three infants and sixteen 
grown persons, and married several. I re- 
turned home March 6th. The whole dis- 
tance was just about two hundred miles. I 
took with me some bread, corn-meal and 
flour mixed for making cakes, and some tea 
and sugar. I got all the dry fish and rabbits 
we wanted from the Indians for a little tea or 
tobacco. My bread began to get short before 
I was half way round, so we had to eat dry 
fish instead. I cooked the rabbits and eat 
the dry fish with them just as bread and did 
not find it bad. The last few days, we had 
no sugar and very little salt — the salt I miss 
more than anything else. 

Such was my first trip with dogs and 
sleigh and I was surprised to see how much 
the dogs can do. I started with seven and 
bought four on the way, making eleven, 
which is a good team. It was lo'' below 
zero the day I started, and 20° below the day 
I returned, but it had been higher many days 
during the trip. The Fathers had told me 
when I came, that the best temperature for 
travelling was from 10° to 15° below^ zero. 
At the time, I could hardly believe it, but I 
found it true. The sun is so strong that as 
soon as the temperature gets above that, the 
dogs get too warm and cannot run as well. 



On the Yukon 63 

I expect to go over the same trip in a boat as 
soon as I get back — if I go back, and not 
to some other mission. 

Six days after I returned, Father Tosi 
started to see the Fathers on the coast at 
Cape Vancouver about five hundred miles 
from St. Michael. He arrived there on 
Good Friday, stayed about a v^eek, and re- 
turned on the 2ist of April (if I remember 
rightly), making a trip of more than one 
thousand miles. He had to travel fast, as 
the v^eather v^as getting v^arm, and there 
v^as danger of the ice on the river breaking. 
In returning he travelled all night and rested 
in the day, because the snow was too soft 
after the sun got high. 

At Easter I was the only Father at Kos- 
erefsky, so we could not have very grand 
services; but we had what we could. The 
Sepulchre looked well. Easter was a beauti- 
ful, warm day. We had High Mass sung 
by the children, who sing well, and the day 
was a happy one. 

During the whole of April the weather at 
the Mission was fine, warm days with bright 
sunshine, and cool nights. The average 
temperature for the past twelve months, 
taken at five o'clock in the morning, was as 
follows : July 52°, August 45°, September 40°, 
October 27°, November 4 3-4'', December 
-II 2-3°, January -8°, March 13 1-4°, April 



64 An American Missionary 

19°, May 30°, June 50'', all Fahrenheit. The 
coldest spell was from the 6th to the 26th of 
December. On the loth it was 50° below 
and on the nth 52° below. For one week 
it did not get above —30'' at any time, but we 
did not suffer. The days were bright, and 
the nights beautiful and clear, and our 
houses are so warm that we do not mind the 
cold. The Fathers on the coast suffered 
much more than we did, although the cold- 
est they had was 23"" below zero; but their 
house is not as good as ours, and they have 
much more wind. I am sure I did not suffer 
as much from the cold as you did last winter. 
What I feared most was cold feet, but to my 
great surprise I was agreeably disappointed. 
The Indian boots which we wear in winter 
are splendid. They are made of sealskin, 
with the fur outwards. In the bottom of 
each boot we put a handful of straw or hay. 
We put on a couple of pairs of woolen stock- 
ings or a piece of blanket wrapped around 
the foot, and then the boots with the straw, 
and unless one gets wet the cold will not 
trouble him. Instead of a coat, when trav- 
elling, we wear what they call a Parky, 
which is made of fur, deerskin or other 
skins, in the shape of a bag with sleeves, and 
a hood that has an edging of long fur which 
blows across the face and keeps the wind 
from cutting. The Parky is very warm, and 




ALASKAN MISSIONARY IN WINTER COSTUME 



On the Yukon 65 

as it has no opening Hke a coat the wind can- 
not get in. It generally reaches to the 
knees. 

The ice on the Yukon broke on the 13th 
of May, and on the 22nd the Company's 
steamer came up. Every spring as soon as 
the river opens, the Alaska Company sends 
a steamer up the river, principally to take 
provisions to the miners far north, and bring 
down the traders to get their supplies for the 
coming year. It goes up more than 2,000 
miles. When the steamer comes down, we 
have a little exhibition and entertainment 
by the school children, as we have then more 
whites present than at any other time. This 
year the steamer came on the 27th of June. 
About 4 o'clock in the morning its whistle 
woke us up. It was a beautiful morning. 
Now the sun is as high here at four as it is 
with you at nine o'clock. 

As soon as I was dressed, I went down to 
the boat and invited all the white men and 
some Indians to come to see the school, and 
they all came except two ministers. The 
children, fifty-two in all, were already up and 
dressed. The boys had nice suits from the 
States, and the girls very pretty dresses 
made by the Sisters, and all looked well. 
When the people came, the children were 
already in the large school-room ready to 
begin. The program was as follows: — A 



66 An American Missionary 

welcome song by all the children; a little 
play by the girls, which was very well given; 
then the boys came in as a company of 
soldiers with wooden guns and an American 
flag. After drilling for a few minutes they 
sang three songs, and six of them spoke 
pieces. Then they marched out, and the girls 
came in, and performed their calisthenic 
exercises ; after which they all sang the Star 
Spangled Banner. Then each class gave a 
specimen of reading, writing, spelling, and 
arithmetic. Both the entertainment and the 
lessons pleased and surprised all present. 
All the children speak English. We do not 
allow a word of Indian. After all was over, 
one of the Government Survey party took a 
photograph of all the children, the Sisters, 
and your humble servant in a group, another 
of the whole Mission, and one of each build- 
ing. Then all our visitors returned to the 
steamer, one of the Sisters and myself ac- 
companying them. 

Father Tosi and a Brother went down in 
a sailboat a week ago to get our steamer 
which was left about two hundred miles be- 
low. A Father came here from Nulato a 
short time ago to remain until Father Tosi 
or I return. We reached St. Michael on 
June 30th, and found here the steamer from 
San Francisco, on which were Father 
Barnum, a Brother, and three Sisters of St. 



On the Yukon 67 

Ann. This was good news for us. Father 
Barnum dehghted the Captain of the 
steamer, and both the latter and the Com- 
pany's Agent here congratulated Father 
Superior on receiving so fine a man. He 
will do great good I am sure. When I left 
the Mission our garden was looking fine. 
We have cabbage, turnips, potatoes, onions, 
radishes, lettuce, &c., &c. Last year we had 
a good deal of cabbage and turnips, but as 
we had only a few potatoes as seed, we got 
only about two bushels of potatoes, all of 
which we kept for seed, and have planted 
them this year and hope to have a good crop. 
Now I think I have given you all the news 
I can from this quiet little world of ours. 
When Father Barnum tells me all the news 
of the year — wars and rumors of war, &c., 
&c., I feel thankful that I have been called 
to this sweet solitude. We hear nothing of 
all the events that agitate the world until 
they are all over and have become mere facts 
of history. 

July 4th. 
We are living in tents. Fathers Tosi and 
Barnum and I have one, and Father Treca 
and two Brothers have another. Father 
Barnum brought a nine-foot American flag, 
which we put up in front of our tent last 
night with a string of Chinese lanterns. The 



68 An American Missionary 

Government Survey party v^ho came down 
last year too late for the steamer and had to 
winter here, have a house and a tent near 
ours and have two flags up. The Company 
also have one on their store-house, and the 
four small steamers in the bay and the St. 
Paul from San Francisco are all flying their 
colors, so you see we have some Fourth of 
July here too; besides, the Survey Party 
fired a salute of ten guns in the morning, 
and the Company fired ten at noon. 

Father Barnum will go to the coast with 
Fathers Treca and Muset to learn the lan- 
guage, and in the spring will probably be 
sent to start another mission somewhere in 
those parts. Fathers Ragaru and Robaut 
will remain at Nulato and I shall stay at 
Koserefsky with Father Tosi. All the Sis- 
ters will stay at Koserefsky at least till 
spring or later, until we have another school 
ready. 

We have not been able, as yet, to make any 
great showing in the number of adult con- 
verts. They have more on the coast than 
we have on the river. I think we have bap- 
tized about six hundred, mostly children, or 
adults in danger of death. I think six chil- 
dren and two adults whom I baptized last 
winter died soon after. I cannot say yet 
how many children we shall have at the 
school next year. We are not losing any 



On the Yukon 69 

this year and will get a good many more; 
so I am sure we shall have a good school the 
coming year. We can have as many chil- 
dren as we can take. We are trying to have 
some from all parts, so as to make the school 
and its advantages known throughout the 
country. It has already done us immense 
good. 

All the whites are loud in their praise of 
what we are doing. None of the Protestants 
have boarding-schools, and none of their 
children speak English as ours do. It is 
very slow work to teach them in day-schools. 
I had from twenty to thirty children from 
our village every day for three or four 
months last winter. I taught them their 
catechism and prayers, and some spelling 
and reading, for about three hours every day. 
I gave most of the time to the catechism; 
yet they were doing well in English. But 
when they stop for some time — as they 
must when they are not boarders, because, 
as soon as spring opens they leave their 
homes and move about from place to place, 
wherever the parents can find the best fish- 
ing, — they forget much of what they have 
learned. We have not the great numbers 
that are to be found in other missions, but 
we have plenty to do, and these poor souls 
are as dear to our Lord as those of more 
favored lands. Besides, the Gospel must be 



70 An American Missionary 

preached here before the Book of Life is 
closed. God is blessing our Mission very 
much, and we have reason to hope that He 
will before long bring the great majority of 
these poor people to the knowledge of the 
true faith. Good-by for another year ! May 
God bless you always during life, but es- 
pecially at the hour of death ! 
Your Brother, 

William H. Judge, S. J. 

A month later he wrote a few lines about 
his experience on the river. 

Steamer St. Michael, Aug. 6, 1891. 
Dear Brother: 

I was very sorry I had to be so brief in my 
last, but I could not help it; and now I am 
writing under difficulties, on board our little 
steamer, going from St. Michael to our Mis- 
sion. 

This is our second and last trip this year. 
I am Captain and Second Engineer; and a 
Brother, who came up this year, is First En- 
gineer and First Mate. We run the boat 
turn about, six hours each. I ought to be 
asleep now, but I give up sleep to have a 
little chat with you; although it will be a 
long time before my words reach you, if 
indeed you get them at all; for I am writing 



On the Yukon 71 

in the hope that the U. S. Revenue Cutter 
will not reach St. Michael before this gets 
there. 

We came down from the Mission, a dis- 
tance of about four hundred miles, in three 
days; but it takes nearly six and sometimes 
more to go up. 

I am in excellent health and spirits, and 
could hardly be happier in this world. We 
have beautiful weather here now. Last 
month there was no night, now there are 
only two or three hours of it; we shall have 
a little frost in September, but no great cold 
before October. May God bless you all! 
Good-by ! 

Your loving Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The next year's work is reported in a let- 
ter from the Mission station on the Shagaluk 
River: 

Shagaluk River, Alaska, Aug. 3, 1892. 

Dear Brother: 

I write this in a tent on the bank of the 
Shagaluk River, about 75 miles northeast 
from Holy Cross Mission. I came here ten 
days ago to build a log-house, which is to 
serve as a church and a residence. It will 
be 30 by 24 inside and two stories high. 



72 An American Missionary 

I believe Father Superior intends to put a 
priest here as soon as he can spare one, and 
until that time it will be a station visited as 
often as possible from Holy Cross Mission. 
This is the village wrhere I baptized many on 
my first trip, of v^hich I gave you an account 
in my letter of last year. That letter closed 
on the 4th of July, 1891. On the 12th of the 
same month I left St. Michael in our steamer. 
We had three boats in tow, two for Holy 
Cross Mission, and a third belonging to the 
Coast Mission, on board of which were 
Fathers Treca and Barnum, and Brother 
Cunnineham, with their provisions for the 
year. They also had a large skin boat, and 
four or five hundred feet of lumber with 
which to fix up their house and church. We 
towed the Fathers about 100 miles, and then 
left them to sail the rest of their way, while 
we continued our course to Holy Cross, 
where we arrived on July 21st. On the 24th 
of July we started back to St. Michael to get 
the balance of our goods; but, just as we got 
under way, we heard shouting and the report 
of guns, and upon looking up the river we 
saw several boats rounding the bend above 
the Mission. 

At first we thought they were miners, but 
presently they ran up the American flag, and 
then we concluded that it must be the U. S. 
Survey party, so we went back and waited 



On the Yukon 73 

for them. When they came near we found 
in fact that they were Mr. McGrath and his 
men who had been up north for two years 
determining the boundary hne between 
Alaska and British America, and that they 
wished us to take them in tow to St. 
Michael. 

After giving them time to see the school, 
we started again and reached St. Michael in 
three days — very good time."^ Having 
loaded our boats and arranged all our affairs 
with the Alaska Commercial Company we 
started, on the evening of the 3rd of August, 
to return to the Mission. It was raining and 
the sea was very quiet, so we were hopeful 
of a good trip. We have about 75 miles of 
sea before we reach the mouth of the Yukon. 
Once in the river we are all right, but our 
boat is not built for rough seas ; hence we are 
always anxious to have good weather for 
that first part of our voyage. 

On this occasion we had been only a few 
hours out from St. Michael when it began to 
blow, and in a short time the wind increased 
to a storm. We were out of sight of land, 
so we had nothing else to do but to commend 

* This tow to St. Michael was of great service to the Survey 
party. By aiding them to get out that summer, it possibly 
saved them a year's delay. Father Judge took the kindest 
interest in the party. It is surprising that Uncle Sam's men 
allowed the missionaries to render this service, as. the angels 
do, " all for love and nothing for reward." 



74 An American Missionary 

ourselves to God and head our little steamer 
against the wind and waves. The sea soon 
became very rough, and the waves washed 
over us every moment, shaking our little 
craft until we thought she would go down; 
but, thanks to the Sacred Heart, whose pict- 
ure we kept hanging in the engine room, and 
to St. Michael, whose name the vessel bears, 
we were not allowed to perish. During the 
night the tow-line caught in the wood-work 
over the wheel, and broke it so badly that we 
had to stop the engine whilst Brother P. and 
myself went out in the rain and darkness to 
fix it with nails and ropes. At one moment 
our feet were in the water, and the next we 
were high in the air, so wildly was the boat 
tossing on the waves. We were glad when 
morning came, but it did not bring us calm, 
and until about nine o'clock we had little 
hope of saving ourselves and our goods. 
God, however, watched over us, hearing our 
poor prayers and those of our friends far 
away, and by noon we reached the mouth 
of the river, where we found shelter, safe and 
sound, and with hearts full of gratitude to 
God. Our goods were only slightly 
damaged. The rest of our trip was very 
good and we arrived at the Mission on the 
9th of August. On the 17th we went to 
Nulato, whence we returned on the 24th, 



On the Yukon 75 

and then we put up the steamer for the win- 
ter. 

Father Tosi was away all September visit- 
ing the Indians on the Kuskokwim River. 
As soon as he returned, I took the skin boat, 
which we call a '' Bidarka ''"^ and with it 
went to visit again the natives on the Shaga- 
luk River. Our '' Bidarka '' is about twen- 
ty-five feet long and two feet wide. It is 
completely closed in, with the exception of 
three circular openings in the top or deck, 
where the occupants sit. Each rower has a 
paddle about four feet long, with which he 
paddles on one side or the other at pleasure. 
A boat of this kind carries a quantity of 
goods and goes very fast, thus affording the 
most pleasant means of travelling in Alaska. 

As I was saying, I started out to visit the 
Indians on the Shagaluk River. I visited 
all the villages to see if there were any chil- 
dren to be baptized or any one sick, but I 
could not stay long to teach, as it was late 
in the season and there was danger of the 
river freezing at any time. At the last vil- 
lage on the Shagaluk we embarked on a little 
river, which, the natives said, would lead us 
to the Yukon. It is a very pretty stream, 
and it bore us to a chain of three lakes, each 
about one mile long, the last of which ended 

*The Russian name for the Eskimo canoe, better known 
as "Kayak" or " Kiyak." 



76 An American Missionary 

only a few feet from the bank of the Yukon. 
At that season the river is very low, so we 
had to let our boat and baggage down a 
steep bank of more than twenty feet. The 
river at that point is more than two miles 
wide, but at low water it is divided in the 
middle by a sand-bar of more than a mile in 
width. It was Sunday evening when we 
reached the Yukon. We thought it would 
be clear sailing homeward; so, as it was cold 
and windy, we camped for the night. After 
fixing our tent in as sheltered a place as we 
could find, we made a fire and cooked our 
supper. 

During the night it got very cold and blew 
so hard that our tent could hardly stand it. 
In the morning I was afraid to say Mass on 
account of the high wind, so we took our 
breakfast and started. We had not gone far 
before we found that the near side of the 
river was closed with ice too thick to break. 
We thereupon left our boat and walked 
across the sand-bar for about a mile to see if 
the other side was also frozen. Much to our 
relief we found it free from ice, except along 
the bank. The current is much stronger on 
that side, which fact accounts for its being 
open. But now came the hardest part of our 
trip; for we had to carry our boat and bag- 
gage for a mile against a cold wind that 
raised the sand in such clouds, that we could 



On the Yukon 77 

not see fifty feet ahead of us, and we had to 
direct our march only by the sun on one side, 
and a high mountain on the other. I had 
but one Indian man and a boy with me; so 
I, with the man, had to carry the boat. I 
did not think that I could do it in such a 
storm, but we can do much more than we 
think when we have to. With a good many 
stops we managed to get the boat over to 
the clear water. Once in the open river we 
made good time, for now we were going 
down stream. We went as far as we could 
that day, and stopped in an empty '' bara- 
bora '' for the night. The next day we 
reached home before noon, having made the 
last 45 miles in six and a half hours. 

On the 24th of November I started to 
make the same trip again, but this time with 
a sleigh and seven good dogs instead of the 
boat. I visited all the villages, stopping 
three, four, or more days in each, baptizing 
the infants, and teaching the children their 
prayers and catechism all day. I am accus- 
tomed to say Mass every day, and, as our 
days are short here in mid-winter, it was 
generally ten or eleven o'clock before we 
took breakfast. On my way home I stopped 
again at Anvik. Here they were having an 
Indian feast and the village was crowded 
with strangers. It was with difficulty that 



78 An American Missionary 

I got a corner in the Casino, but some per- 
sons kindly made room for me. 

I shall try to give you an idea of these 
Alaskan feasts. They are very common 
among the Indians and are their principal 
amusement during the winter. When the 
people of a village wish to make a feast, they, 
after making their preparations, send mes- 
sengers to one or more neighboring villages 
to invite the inhabitants to come on a fixed 
day. All are invited, but every one that 
comes is expected to bring some present 
with him. All the visitors are fed by the 
people of the village. I arrived in Anvik 
just in time to see the whole performance. 
About eight o'clock in the evening, when the 
Casino was crowded to its utmost, they 
cleared a place in the centre where they had 
two dishes of oil with tapers burning in them 
to light the room. The men of the village 
then sat around the open space and began 
to sing a song made for the occasion, in 
which they told their visitors what they 
would like to have. When the song was 
ended the visitors went out and, after a little 
while, returned with their presents, which 
they threw in a pile in the clear space in the 
centre of the Casino. The presents con- 
sisted of skins of all kinds, great quantities 
of drilHng, calico, tobacco, etc. When all 
the presents were in, the Anvikians sang 



On the Yukon 79 

again; then two or three men took the pres- 
ents and divided them among the people of 
the village. When all had been given out, 
the visitors sang as the others had done, and 
then the men of Anvik went out and brought 
in the gifts which they had prepared for their 
guests. After another song these presents 
were distributed among the visitors. Then 
came the '' refreshments,'' which consisted 
of an immense dish of what we call ice- 
cream. The Alaskans make it of deer fat, 
hard snow, and berries, which they beat to- 
gether until the mixture looks just like 
ice-cream. When well made it not only re- 
sembles ice-cream, but tastes like it too. 
When all was ready a stout Indian took the 
dish, having, as if to add solemnity to the 
occasion, taken off his shirt, and began to 
deal out the ice-cream with his hand to all 
the visitors as far as it went. After that the 
entertainers sang again, and the visitors 
brought in more presents, which were di- 
vided up as before. Then all fell to eating 
dry fish and oil before going to sleep. It 
was midnight before all was over. 

Such are the feasts these Indians are con- 
stantly making in one village or another, 
nearly all the winter. They are harmless, 
but we cannot do anything while they are 
going on or for some weeks before they be- 
gin; because, while they are practising the 



80 An American Missionary 

songs and dances, the children are so excited 
that they can think of nothing else. I forgot 
to mention above that these people have 
masquerades of their own for some nights 
before the distribution of the presents. For 
these dances, they carve, out of wood, faces 
of men, some very large, say two feet or 
more, and some only a few inches in length, 
and also heads of animals of all kinds. When 
they dance, they put on these masks and 
imitate the animals that they represent. In 
their dances, as a general thing, only the men 
take part. They do not join hands nor even 
touch one another, but each dancer simply 
goes through certain motions or gesticula- 
tions, in accordance with the character that 
his mask represents. 

I remained only one day at Anvik, on ac- 
count of the feast, and then returned home, 
stopping one day at a little village on the 
way. 

During this trip we had some very cold 
weather, and it happened that I was travel- 
ling in the worst of it. For two or three 
days the thermometer fell to 50** below zero. 
On those days I had ice on my eyebrows and 
eyelashes and often a cake of ice on my 
cheek. All my clothing too, was covered 
with a white frost wherever the natural 
warmth of the body penetrated and came in 
contact with the glacial atmosphere. The 



On the Yukon 81 

weather, however, was clear and the sun 
bright, and I ran all the time behind the 
sleigh, guiding it. This kept me very warm 
and even made my head perspire, but as soon 
as the perspiration came from under my cap 
it was turned to ice on my face. 

We did not suffer much. When we 
stopped for dinner, we started a big fire, 
made tea, and warmed the bread that we had 
with us. We had to eat fast, and right over 
the fire. Once I went to pick up a tin plate 
near the fire with my bare hand, but I 
dropped it as quickly as if it had been red- 
hot, and wherever it touched my fingers, 
they were white as though burned. The 
same happened on another occasion when I 
touched a spoon. When it is so cold, you 
cannot touch any metal without first holding 
it to the fire to take out the frost. When 
one touches metal at a temperature of 50"* 
below zero, the sensation is just the same as 
that produced by burning, but the injury is 
more easily cured if the metal has not been 
held long enough to take the skin off. When 
we are frost-bitten, we have only to rub the 
part affected with snow until the whiteness 
disappears, and then no harm results from it. 
I have not had my face frozen yet. The boy 
that travels with me has been nipped two or 
three times, but I always saw the discolora- 
tion of the skin in time and ^' rubbed it out.'' 



82 An American Missionary 

I returned from this trip on the i8th of 
December, just in time to prepare for Christ- 
mas. As one of the Fathers from the coast 
was with us this year we were able to have 
a Solemn Midnight Mass. Father Tosi was 
celebrant, Father Muset deacon, and I sub- 
deacon. We had the crib as last year, only 
a little larger, and the church was dressed in 
evergreen. I said my first Mass at 8 o'clock, 
the second immediately after, and sang High 
Mass at 9 o'clock. In the afternoon we had 
Solemn Benediction. We got one of the 
large boys to play Santa Claus this year, but 
he did not succeed in disguising himself as 
I did last year. We had a happy Christmas, 
and I enjoyed the religious part of the cele- 
bration especially. 

I expected to make another trip in Jan- 
uary or February, but a bad cold laid me up 
for three weeks and the serious illness of 
Father Superior prevented me from doing so. 

On the loth of March our oldest boy and 
best interpreter died. He was baptized 
by Archbishop Seghers, and he was the first 
boy that Father Superior took, about five 
years ago. He was always sickly and suf- 
fered nearly all the time, but he bore the 
pains with patience. He was about seven- 
teen years old, of far more than ordinary 
intelligence, quick-tempered, but with a good 
heart. His faith was strong and he was 



On the Yukon 83 

never happier than when he had an oppor- 
tunity to speak against the medicine men. 
He was taken seriously sick in January, and 
about the ist of March he began to sink 
rapidly. At first he did not want to die, 
but when the end came he was perfectly re- 
signed. Having received Extreme Unction 
and Holy Viaticum, he died just as I had 
finished giving the last absolution. His 
death was a loss for the Mission, but it was 
a great consolation to us to see him make 
so good an end. 

We have had in all 80 children this year — 
38 boys and 42 girls. They are so good that 
they have given us great consolation. Six- 
teen or seventeen of them have made their 
First Communion and are very edifying. 
They would go to Communion every week 
if we allowed them to do so. These children 
are our greatest hope for the future. As they 
are taken from all parts, we hope that when 
they return to their homes they will sow the 
good seed everywhere. 

When the steamer came down, the chil- 
dren gave a little entertainment for the visi- 
tors, singing, speaking, and acting, all in 
English, much to the astonishment of those 
among the whites that had not visited our 
school before; indeed, some of them sur- 
prised myself, they did so well. Three more 
Sisters came to our Mission this year, whilst 



84 An American Missionary 

one of those that were already here had to 
return on account of sickness. As our sec- 
ond school is not yet ready, all our Sisters, 
eight in number, will remain at Holy Cross 
for the present. Hence we may hope to 
have a fine school there during the coming 
year. 

We made a large garden this year and 
planted two bushels of potatoes, a quantity 
of cabbage, turnips, beets, etc., but the sea- 
son has been so very cool and wet that I fear 
we shall not have half the crop we hoped for. 

The ice on the Yukon broke, this year, on 
May 15th, and as soon as the river was clear 
I came up here to get logs for the proposed 
new house. The Indians had told Father 
Superior that he could get plenty of logs 
when the ice went out, and he thought they 
meant drift logs. When I came, I asked 
them to show me where the logs were. After 
taking me a long way up the river, they 
pointed to a pine forest saying: ^^ There are 
the logs.'' So we had to go to work and cut 
our timber. We reached the woods on a 
Wednesday evening and began work at once. 
After cutting sixty-eight good logs, we made 
them into rafts on the river and brought 
them down to this place, so that by Saturday 
night we had our lumber all piled on the bank 
here ready for use. On Sunday morning I 
said Mass in the village and then we returned 
to Koserefsky. 



On the Yukon 85 

Now I have come up again to do what I 
can on the new house, until our steamer gets 
back from the coast and comes to take me to 
Nulato. I expect to be here for three or four 
weeks. We have two tents, one of which we 
use for kitchen, dining-room, etc., and the 
other I keep for myself, so as to have a clean 
place in which to say Mass. I have two boys 
from our school to cook and help generally, 
and I take ten or twelve Indians every day 
from the village to work. I have to board 
them, so we have quite a little hotel. It has 
been raining nearly every day since I got 
here, which keeps the work back very much. 
The weather is warm and the mosquitoes are 
so thick that I have to smoke my tent every 
morning to drive them out, else I could not 
say Mass. To-day it is raining so hard that 
the men cannot work, and I take the oppor- 
tunity to send you this little account of the 
year. The man that is to be the bearer of it 
is waiting, so I must hurry and send it with- 
out even looking over it. In the union of the 
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, 

Your Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

TKe work of this year was reported also to 
his Superior in the form of diary, a part of 
which we give, even at the risk of some slight 
repetition. 



86 An American Missionary 

Holy Cross Mission, Alaska, 
June 2nd, 1892, 
Very Rev. and Dear Father Superior: 

Another year has passed; how quickly 
they go when we are busy ! The days, 
weeks, and months are all too short, and the 
year is passed before we know it. 

On the 24th of November I started with a 
sleigh and seven dogs to visit the Indians I 
have been attending on the Shagaluk. I will 
give you my diary for the trip so that you 
may see what we do on these excursions. I 
started with a boy and an Indian about 10 
o'clock, halted at 12 o'clock to make tea, and 
reached the first stopping-place about 5 P. M. 
Good road, distance about 35 miles. Fixed 
our supper of fried fish, tea, and hot steam 
bread made in my patent oven which I used 
for the first time on this trip and found to be 
a great success. It consists of a sheet-iron 
camp-kettle about 10 inches high, in which I 
have put some pieces of iron so as to support 
two round tin pans, one over the other. 
When I want to bake, I fill the pot with wa- 
ter up to the first iron, mix my soda bread, 
put it in the pans, cover the kettle and hang 
it over the fire. The steam cooks the bread 
very nicely, and you have no trouble with it, 
as it cannot burn; and, as the fire around the 
kettle keeps it hot, there is no distillation; 



On the Yukon 87 

and, therefore, the bread comes out dry and 
nice. One hour will cook a larg:e loaf. It is 
a great improvement on frying cakes which 
is always difficult on a camp-fire, and more 
especially so when the weather is very cold. 
After supper I gave a little instruction and 
we went to bed. At this place there are only 
two baraboras and about eight or ten In- 
dians. 

Next morning, the 25th, I said Mass and 
gave an instruction. We took breakfast and 
started at 10.45 ^^^ the next stopping-place, 
about ten miles distant. We had clear ice all 
the way and went as fast as the dogs could 
run, and arrived there at 12.15. Took din- 
ner — tea and crackers — taught catechism 
to three children and four grown persons, 
took a walk to say my Office, cooked supper 
— rabbits, tea, and hot bread — taught cate- 
chism, said Litanies, etc., and went to bed. 

On the 26th, which was Thanksgiving 
Day, I said Mass in a log-house belonging to 
an Indian at this place, took breakfast, 
taught catechism, and started at 1 1.30 for the 
first village, which we reached at 12.30. Here 
I made a big pot of tea in the Casino, and let 
all present drink of it. We took some tea 
and crackers for our dinner, taught cate- 
chism, took a walk, had supper, and went to 
bed. Thus I spent Thanksgiving Day. 

On the 27th, I said Mass in the Casino, 



88 An American Missionary 

gave some instruction and catechism, took 
breakfast at lo o'clock, visited the sick, 
taught catechism, took a Httle lunch, taught 
catechism, walked, took supper, gave an in- 
struction, and went to bed. 

On the 28th I said Mass, gave an instruc- 
tion, took breakfast at 10 o'clock, and started 
at II for the next village, which we reached 
at 2.30 — road good most of the way. As 
soon as we arrived, we went to the Casino, 
took some tea and crackers, made a pot of 
tea for the men, talked awhile, went for a 
walk, took supper and went to bed. 

The 29th was Sunday. Said Mass at 8.30; 
instruction after Mass. Breakfast at 10 
o'clock, taught catechism, visited the sick, 
walked, taught catechism, gave some instruc- 
tion, took supper, and walked till bedtime. 
November 30th, Mass 8.30, instruction, 
breakfast 10.30, catechism, walk, catechism, 
supper, and bed. In winter the days are so 
short that, when travelling, I generally take 
only two meals, as after Mass we cannot get 
breakfast before 10 and sometimes 11 o'clock. 

Dec. I. Mass at 8.30, instruction, cate- 
chism, breakfast 10.30, catechism, recess, 
catechism, walked while they made fire in 
the Casino, catechism, supper 6.30, prayers 
for the Indians, and bed. 

Dec. 2. Mass at 8, prayers, instructions, 
catechism, breakfast 10.15, catechism, recess, 



On the Yukon 89 

catechism till 2.30, walk, catechism at 5, 
singing of hymns, supper, walk, prayers, and 
bed. 

Dec. 3. Mass at 8, catechism, breakfast 
10.30, baptized a little girl three years old, 
catechism, walk, catechism, supper, and bed. 

Dec. 4. Mass at 7.30, instruction, cate- 
chism, breakfast 10.30, baptized Jane, four 
months old, and started for the next village 
12.30. This is the village where I baptized 
most of the people last year. I take a boy 
and a girl with me to the school. At 2.45 
we reached the next village — road good, 
but weather very cold, at least 30 below zero. 
By the time we had put our things in order, 
got warm, and taken supper, it was bedtime. 

Dec. 5. Mass in the Casino at 8, instruc- 
tion, talk, breakfast at 11, baptized two chil- 
dren, walked while they made fire, catechism, 
supper, etc., and bed. 

Dec. 6. Sunday, Mass at 8.45, instruction, 
catechism, breakfast 11. 10, baptized five chil- 
dren, at 2 o'clock went about a mile from the 
village and baptized one little girl, and re- 
turned for supper. 

Dec. 7. Mass at 8, instruction, catechism, 
breakfast 10; went about three miles to a ba- 
rabora where there were a woman and two 
children who wished to be baptized. I found 
them to be good, simple people, living alone 
and seldom going to the village; so I in- 



90 An America:!! Missionary 

structed them as well as I could and bap- 
tized them. 

Dec. 8. Feast of the Immaculate Concep- 
tion, Mass 8.30, catechism, breakfast 10.30, 
catechism, baptized one girl, catechism, 
walk, supper, bed. 

Dec. 9. No Mass, breakfast 6.30, started 
at 8 for the next village about forty miles off, 
stopped at 11.30 to make tea, and reached the 
village at 5.30. Very bad road, or rather no 
road; we had to break the snow. Very cold, 
50 below zero, but no wind. Supper 7.30, 
bed. 

Dec. 10. Mass at 8.30, catechism, break- 
fast at 10.30, catechism at 12, went to an- 
other village about 5 miles away and bap- 
tized one Httle girl, returned at 5.45, supper, 
bed. 

Dec. II. Mass at 8, catechism, breakfast, 
catechism, tried to get a dying man to receive 
the last Sacraments, but could not, visited 
some sick people and gave them medicine; 
catechism, walk, supper, etc. 

Dec. 12. No mass, breakfast at 6.30; 
started at 8 to return to the villagfe we were 
last at; stopped at 12 to make tea, very cold, 
about 50 below zero, but not uncomfortable 
as there was no wind. At four we reached 
the village. We came by a different road 
from the one by which we went; it was 
longer, but much better; supper, prayers, etc. 



On the Yukon 91 

Dec. 13. Mass at 8.30, catechism, break- 
fast at 10.45, catechism, walk, supper, 
prayers, etc. 

Dec. 14. No Mass. In winter when we 
have a long distance to go we cannot say 
Mass, as the Indians who sleep in the Casino 
do not get up in time. Breakfast 5.30; at 
6.30 started for Anvik, distant about 50 
miles. Stopped at 12 for dinner, and reached 
Anvik at 4.20. I found the people making a 
feast, which means that a village invites the 
Indians of one or more villages to come for 
one or more days and eat as much as they 
can; but all who come must bring some 
present for their entertainers, skins, cloth, 
tobacco, tea, etc. The visitors also receive 
some gifts from their hosts. I gave eight red 
handkerchiefs and received two mink skins 
in return. After distributing the last gifts, 
they began to eat, and it was past midnight 
before I could get to sleep. 

Dec. 15. No Mass, the Casino was too 
crowded; no room to fix my altar. After 
breakfast I went across the river to the tra- 
der's house to get some flour. He received 
me very kindly and offered me a place to 
stay. As the village was so crowded I ac- 
cepted his offer and went back to get my 
sleigh and baggage. I spoke with the In- 
dians in the Casino for some time about the 
necessity of prayer, etc., and then went over 



92 An American Missionary 

to the trader's house. He is a brother of the 
Russian priest, but could not have treated 
me better if he had been my own brother; he 
invited me to dinner with him, fed my dogs, 
and paid me every attention. 

I had intended to stay some days in the 
village, but when they have these feasts, you 
can do nothing; they are all too busy, even 
the children are too excited to learn, and be- 
sides, as they are up all night they must sleep 
during the day. 

Dec. i6. I did not say Mass, as I was in 
the house of a Russian. Took breakfast with 
the trader, and started towards home at 9. 
Stopped at 12 for tea, and at 3 stopped at a 
small village about twenty miles from home. 

Dec. 17. Mass at 8, catechism, breakfast 
10.30, catechism, walk, catechism, instruc- 
tion, supper, prayers, etc. 

Dec. 18. No Mass, started about 5 for 
home, stopped at 9 for tea, started again at 
10, and reached home at i — very cold, but 
clear, fine weather. Several times during 
this trip it was so cold that, when cooking 
dinner outside, if I touched a plate, cup, 
spoon, etc., it felt like picking up red-hot iron, 
and made my fingers white immediately. On 
the two or three days when it was 50 degrees 
below zero, I had ice on my eyebrows, eye- 
lashes, and even on my cheeks, every place 
where any heat from the body came in con- 



On the Yukon 93 

tact with the cold; but still I did not suffer. 
All I wore on the coldest days was one flan- 
nel shirt, an old knitted jacket, and a squir- 
rel-skin parky or Indian over-dress, very 
light but warm. 

Father Tosi returned from the coast on 
Holy Thursday, April 14; and on Easter 
Monday started for the Shagaluk to see the 
Indians I have been visiting. It was the first 
time he had been there. He had to go quick- 
ly as the snow was melting, and he returned 
April 28. He was much pleased with the 
Indians and promised to build a house in one 
of the most central villages this summer. 

On the 15th of May the ice broke on the 
Yukon. We were anxious for the safety of 
our steamer, fearing that the ice might crush 
it, but St. Joseph and St. Michael pushed the 
ice all to the far side of the river and left the 
boat in clear water. No one ever before saw 
the ice go out as it did this year; this looked 
like an answer to our prayers. 

The Company's steamer went up the river 
on the 25th of May and will be down again 
about the 12th of this month ; that will be the 
last chance to send our letters out, at least 
by the St. Paul. 

June 7. Father Muset started yesterday 
in a three-hatch bidarka or skin boat to visit 
the Indians on the Kuskokwim river. He ex- 
pects to be away five or six weeks. So now 



94 An American Missionary 

I am alone. Brother John is hard at work on 
the garden. He has planted about ten bush- 
els of good potatoes which we raised last 
year, and a good lot of cabbage, turnips, 
beets, etc. Last year we had cabbage and 
turnips for the whole winter, and this year 
we hope to have a good crop of potatoes 
which will not only be very agreeable and 
healthy, but will save flour and thus lessen 
expenses. The cabbage and turnips we had 
this year improved our fare very much. One 
in the States who has never been without 
vegetables for any length of time, cannot 
imagine what a luxury they are. When the 
traders and others who have not had any for 
years visit us, they enjoy them immensely. 
From far and near, the natives, the traders, 
and even the Russian priest, send to us for 
medicine when they are very sick, and fre- 
quently they come to be cured. 

Brother and I are well. Two of the Sisters 
are very sick, but they manage to keep up 
and do a great deal of work. 

Kind regards to all. Pray for us that God 
may continue to bless us in the future as He 
has in the past. 

Your humble servant in Christ, 

Wm. H. Judge. 

The next year w^s soent by Father Jud^-e 
at Nulato, that settlement on the Yukon, 




ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. SEGHERS 
^The Apostle of Alaska 



On the Yukon 95 

which the Apostle of Alaska, the noble Arch- 
bishop Seghers was striving to reach, when 
he was so strangely murdered by his own at- 
tendant. 

When about forty miles from Nulato, the 
Archbishop stopped for the night in a poor 
cabin. He had with him two natives, and 
his attendant, Fuller, whom the kind-hearted 
prelate used to call '' brother." To say the 
least. Fuller was weak-minded and eccentric. 

For some time he had been acting strange- 
ly and rudely. During the night in question, 
he was restless and got up twice. The 
Archbishop told him to lie down and try to 
sleep. 

Towards morning. Fuller went out and 
got his gun from the sled. To rid himself 
of one of the Indians, he sent him to get 
some ice; the other seemed to be still asleep. 
Fuller threw some handfuls of birch bark on 
the fire to make a blaze, then called out, 
" Bishop, get up ! '' and levelled his gun at 
his victim. 

The Archbishop had risen to a sitting posi- 
tion on the bearskin which served him as a 
couch, and when he saw Fuller's gun aimed 
at him, he seemed to take in the situation at 
a glance. He crossed his arms upon his 
breast, and bowed his head as the assassin 
fired. The bullet grazed the heart of the 
devoted missionary, and his spirit passed 



96 An American Missionary 

from that cold and dreary scene of his labors 
to the light, life, and joy promised to such 
faithful servants of God. 

Some idea of the year's work is given in 
the following letters. 

St. Peter Claver's Mission, 
Nulato, Alaska, November 22nd, 1892. 

Dear Sister: 

There is a gentleman here who will start 
in a few days to go to the States overland; 
which means to go eighteen hundred miles 
in a dog-sleigh, before he can get any of the 
modern conveniences of travel. It will take 
him about three months to make the trip; 
so you will probably receive this next March 
or thereabouts, if all goes well with him. 

As you see from the heading, I am not at 
Holy Cross Mission this year, but about two 
hundred miles north of it. The cHmate is 
about the same; the coldest we have had, so 
far, this winter is 34 below zero. The In- 
dians are more civilized than those lower 
down the river, at least in their manner of 
living. They all live in log-houses, and 
some keep them very clean. They have 
mixed much more than the others with white 
men, especially the miners, which accounts 
in part for the difference; but all the north- 



On the Yukon 97 

ern Indians are cleaner and have better 
houses than those near the coast. 

It is slow work to convert the grown peo- 
ple. A Father has been here four years, and 
he is only now beginning to get a few to 
their duties. He has about sixteen com- 
municants, mostly women, including two 
young women who came from the school 
last summer. It is wonderful what a change 
a few years at the school make in these chil- 
dren. When they go there, they know 
nothing higher than this world; but after 
three or four years, they are more anxious to 
save their souls than to do anything else; 
they go frequently to Confession and Holy 
Communion of their own accord, come to 
Mass every day when they can, say their 
beads, and give great edification. But what 
shows most of all how solid is their faith, is 
the manner in which they die. So far we 
have had three deaths among those who 
have been at the school, and all have been 
most edifying and consoling. 

The last death was that of a boy about 
fourteen years old. When he came to the 
school he was a little wild Indian; but the 
excellent training of the Sisters soon began 
to bear fruit; and, although he was not as 
bright as some others, he made up for it by 
hard work; and, about a year before he died, 



98 An American Missionary 

he was well enough instructed to make his 
First Communion. 

First Communion makes a great change 
in all these children, but especially was it^ 
effect noticed in this boy. From that day, 
no one could make him angry, and he be- 
came so obliging and kind to everyone that 
all loved him exceedingly. It was a real pleas- 
ure to give him any work to do, he did it so 
willingly and cheerfully. He was always 
smiling as though he could not hide the joy 
and peace of his heart. But God wished to 
try him for our edification and his greater 
merit, and so, sent him a cross heavy for one 
of his age and disposition, for he was natur- 
ally very lively. Soon after Christmas last, 
he sprained one of his ankles several times; 
but, with treatment, it seemed to get all 
right again. Soon after, one evening, with- 
out any warning, when he was as lively and 
happy as ever, he had a severe hemorrhage, 
which weakened him very much; and while 
he was in bed on account of that, the ankle 
he had sprained began to swell and became 
very painful, especially when he moved it. 
So he had to remain in bed the greater part 
of the time. All spring and summer he re- 
mained in that state, often suffering great 
pain but never complaining or even asking 
for anyone to stay with him. In July, as we 
were afraid he would not live long, we sent 



On the Yukon 99 

him here so that his parents might see him. 
He came up on the steamer and Hved with 
the Fathers. Here, as at school, he gained 
all hearts, and surprised and edified the 
Fathers by his piety and wonderful patience. 
Every day he would read the life of the 
Saint of the day, in a pictorial '' Lives of 
the Saints " that we have, and he was not in 
the least afraid of death. He died early in 
the morning, after a violent hemorrhage, and 
his last words were, '' Jesus, Mary, Joseph," 
which he said of his own accord. What 
wonders the grace of God is able to work 
when we do not put obstacles in the way or 
refuse to follow its inspirations ! 

When I left Holy Cross, there were one 
hundred children in the school. Three more 
Sisters came this year; but one of those who 
came four years ago, had to go back on ac- 
count of her health. So there are eight Sis- 
ters now, all at Holy Cross. They expected 
to open a second school this fall, but we 
could not get the house ready. It will be on 
the coast at the mouth of the Yukon, about 
four hundred miles from the present school. 
In that part of the country there is not a 
tree for two hundred miles, and not even a 
bush for some distance, nothing but thick 
moss. The place we have selected for the 
school is a high bank on one of the streams 
that form the delta of the Yukon. It is the 

.ore. 



100 An American Missionary 

only high ground in the neighborhood; so, 
from it, one can see on all sides as far as the 
eye can reach, and not a tree to break the 
view, nothing but water, moss-covered fields, 
and banks. But it is a cheerful place and 
very good for that part of the country. 

Do not think that I have no need of your 
prayers, for there are many dangers on a 
Mission like this. I am very happy and have 
not the least doubt that I am where God 
wishes me to be ; but, when there is so much 
to do, there is danger of neglecting oneself. 
So we must always pray for each other. . . . 
Every day, at Mass, I ask our Lord to keep 
you ever pure in his sight, and to bring you 
to a holy and happy death, which is the 
greatest blessing I can ask for you, as we 
say in the prayer to St. Francis Xavier — 
^' that we may diligently seek and perfectly 
find that one thing necessary, which is to die 
and rest in peace.'' May God grant us this 
grace. 

Your loving Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

Nulato, Alaska, Nov. 26, 1892. 

Dear Brother: 

It is just 12 P. M. as I begin this, but there 
is a chance to give you a pleasant surprise 
and I cannot resist. 



On the Yukon 101 

Representatives of the Northwestern 
Trading and Transportation Company came 
here last summer and built a large river 
steamer to run on the Yukon. It is a fine 
boat built on the plan of the Mississippi 
boats. The object of the Company is to 
open up the country, trade in furs, supply 
the miners, mine, or go into anything that 
they see money in. 

Their steamer is called the P. B. Weare, 
after the head of the company, the great 
corn-king of Chicago. He w^as up here but 
has returned. They intended to go up about 
a thousand miles above Nulato, where the 
greatest number of the miners are; but, they 
were too late in finishing the steamer, and 
when they got here about the 6th of October, 
the ice was too thick to allow them to go 
farther. So they went about six miles be- 
low us, and put up for the winter. 

They have about three hundred tons of 
freight, a splendid cargo of assorted mer- 
chandise. The Agent and his wife, the 
First Mate, and an Irish servant-girl, are 
Catholics; and the Captain and the hands 
are all nice people ; so, we have some pleasant 
white neighbors for the winter. The dis- 
tance is nothing, as it takes only about three 
quarters of an hour to make it with the dogs. 

Soon after I wrote last, I was called back 
to Holy Cross, and had to leave the house I 



102 An American Missionary 

was building on the Shagaluk, only seven 
feet high. I remained at the Mission, while 
Father Superior and three other Fathers 
went to plant a large cross on the spot where 
Archbishop Seghers was killed. They made 
the ceremony as solemn as possible, all the 
Fathers saying Mass there. 

On the first of October, I started to come 
to Nulato on our steamer, but winter had 
already begun — about two weeks earlier 
than usual — and the ice was forming on 
the river. However, we got on all right 
until within thirty miles of this place, 
when we ran on a bar and could not 
get ofif. So we had to leave the steamer 
and walk home. We did not know how 
far we were from Nulato, but an Indian 
told us we could reach it in a day. We 
camped one night on the bank of the 
river, where we had piled all the goods from 
the steamer; and, in the morning after Mass 
and breakfast, each one took what he could 
carry and we started to tramp it. The walk- 
ing was bad, the river bank being often stony 
and rough, and our bundles began after some 
time to be heavy; but we kept on, and to our 
joy, about one o'clock, we met the Father 
from Nulato with a party of men coming 
from the new steamer to our rescue. 

They had heard of our trouble, and started 
as soon as possible to help us. We all took 



On the Yukon 103 

something to eat and after a Httle rest set 
out again reheved af our baggage, which 
was taken by the Indians whom the Father 
had brought with him. On account of the 
bad footing we could not make good time, 
and it was not until about eight o'clock in 
the evening that we reached the steamer. 
We were all very tired but we met a hearty 
welcome, got a good supper, and, what we 
wanted most, a good night's rest. The 
Transportation Company's people have 
boarded up their steamer all around, and 
they are living in it very comfortably. The 
next day, after breakfast, we finished our 
tramp and got home. 

We are only two Fathers and two 
Brothers here; so, it is much more quiet than 
at Holy Cross. I must stop; it is too late, 
and I am tired. Kind regards to all. May 
God bless you always. 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

In May, 1893, he writes of his work at 
Nulato : ^^ My life has been a quiet one, most 
of my time being taken up with teaching 
the children their prayers and catechism in 
their own language, and a little English, and 
in trying to learn their language myself. 
The first task I like very much, for I am 
fond of children and have no trouble to make 
friends with them; but the second is very 



104 An American Missionary 

much like hard work, and my genius does 
not run that way. So you must pray for 
me, that the Holy Ghost may supply what 
nature has refused, if it be for the glory of 
God. 

We have had a cold winter this year, the 
average temperature having been a good 
deal lower than that of the two preceding 
years; but, thank God! I have had good 
health, have not even had a cold. 

The ice on the Yukon broke on the 19th 
of this month, and from that event we date 
the beginning of the summer season. Up 
to about the middle of April the cold holds 
its own; and one would think, to look at the 
immense ice more than thirty inches thick 
on the river, and the whole country buried 
in snow, that it would take all summer to 
melt it; but, as soon as the severe cold ceases, 
the sun is so strong that the snow melts, and 
the river swells so that it lifts the ice up 
fifteen feet or more, forcing it to let go its 
hold on the banks; and, of course, as soon as 
it is not held, the current carries it off and 
out to sea." 

In July he wrote to another person: "I 
was much pleased to hear that you had seen 
Father Tosi. He has been through more 
than anyone else up here; and, as you see, 
he is not dead yet. As I told someone, this 



On the Yukon 105 

IS a bad place to come to if one wants to get 
to heaven quick ; hot countries are much bet- 
ter for that than cold ones. 

I am sorry you had to send the box by ex- 
press, on account of the expense; slow 
freight, I suppose, would be much cheaper. 
You have only hinted at what you have sent, 
and therefore I don't know what I may find; 
but, if you should ever be inspired to send 
another box, I would be happy to find in one 
corner a few pounds of common candy for 
the little ones at Christmas. You see, I 
have not changed in my love for the little 
ones.'' 

The summer of 1894 found Father Judge 
still at Nulato. He recounts the incidents 
of the year in a long letter to one of his 
brothers : — 

St. Peter Claver's Mission, 

Nulato, Alaska, June 30, 1894. 

Dear Brother: P. C. 

I think my last letter to you was written 
in July, 1893, while I was on a visit to Holy 
Cross Mission. In the latter part of Au- 
gust I returned to Nulato. A few days after 
my arrival, Father Ragaru left, having been 
called by Father Superior, leaving me alone 
with one Brother, to attend to these two vil- 



106 An American Missionary 

lages, one of which is within five minutes 
walk of the house, and the other about two 
miles down the river. 

Here we have a small church and have be- 
gun to build a better one; but at the lower 
village we had none until last November, 
when an Indian, who had there a good log- 
house, sold it to me very cheap, because one 
of his children died there about two years 
ago, and the Medicine Man, or Shaman, as 
they call him, told our Indian that his other 
children would die if he remained in that 
house. With a little work, I fixed it up, 
made a temporary altar, and began on the 
first of December to use it for a church. 

My plan is to say Mass three times a week 
there, and three times here, and in each place 
on other days to say the beads and teach 
catechism in the afternoon; so that every 
day each village has either Mass or the 
beads and catechism. On Sundays all 
come here, and we have High Mass, instruc- 
tion, and Benediction of the Blessed Sac- 
rament. 

The first Friday of the month, for which 
we prepare by a Novena, we celebrate here 
by a general Communion of all who have 
made their First Communion, in all about 
twenty-five, half of whom are grown chil- 
dren who have been to school at Holy Cross. 

We are slow to admit the Indian to Holy 



On the Yukon 107 

Communion, but this year I have secured 
the baptism of all the children in both vil- 
lages, and of nearly all the young people; 
and, with few exceptions, these come to con- 
fession at least once a month. 

The Medicine Man could not have con- 
ferred a greater favor upon me than he did 
by causing that man to leave his house. 
Thus we see how God makes use even of the 
wicked, to accomplish His designs, and turns 
all to the good of His elect. 

On the 8th of December, the feast of the 
Immaculate Conception, immediately after 
Mass, I had to start on a sick-call to a village 
about thirty miles down the river. We left 
here, an Indian and myself, with a sleigh and 
seven good dogs about nine o'clock, stopped 
at noon at an Indian house for our dinner of 
tea, dried fish, and bread, and then continued 
our journey, arriving at our destination 
about four o'clock. It was a cold day, forty 
degrees below zero, but the wind was at our 
back and we did not suffer. I found an old 
man, the father of one of the children at our 
school, very sick with something like pneu- 
monia. I gave him some medicine, in- 
structed him, heard his confession, and 
anointed him. He was well disposed and 
died in a few days after I left. 

On the 15th of December Father Ragaru 
returned from Holy Cross Mission. He 



108 An American Missionary 

spent a month on the road, having visited 
all the villages on the v^ay, stopping a few 
days in each. By the route he came, the 
whole distance was about three hundred 
miles. 

Christmas day was a happy one for us 
this year. I said two Masses at the lower 
village, where I had nine communions, and 
Father Ragaru had eighteen communions 
here. At nine o'clock I sang High Mass 
here, after which I had the Christmas tree 
for the children, and some fun also for the 
grown people. Our tree looked well, al- 
though I had no candy. I made some small 
cakes, and with them and a large tin of sweet 
crackers, which some good soul sent us last 
summer, I filled a number of small bags, 
some of cloth, some of colored paper, which, 
together with the toys you sent, set the tree 
off in good style and made the little ones 
jump with joy when they saw it. The tin 
dogs, fishes, etc., which moved by them- 
selves, amused not only the children, but also 
the older folks. We raffled the toys, as 
there were not enough for all, and gave each 
child a bag of cakes. To the grown people 
we gave a piece of sweet bread and a cup of 
coffee, and all went away pleased. 

On the 8th of January Father Ragaru left 
to make a missionary trip up the river; and, 
a few days after, he sent me word that there 



On the Yukon 109 

were two white men in great destitution and 
with their feet badly frozen, at the house of 
an Indian thirty miles above Nulato. At 
once, I sent a Brother with two sleighs, 
warm clothes, and a good provision of bread, 
tea, and fish, to bring them down. He found 
them with their feet so badly frozen that 
they could not use them at all, with very 
Httle clothing and barely enough food to 
keep soul and body together. The Brother 
made the trip in three days, and although it 
was fifty degrees below zero when they ar- 
rived here, they were so well wrapped up 
that they did not feel the cold. As soon as 
they came, we gave them a good supper of 
stewed rabbits, slap-jacks, and tea, and they 
enjoyed it as much as you would a first-class 
feast. Until Father Ragaru met them, they 
had not tasted bread for seven months; at 
one time they had been two weeks without 
anything but a kind of wild rhubarb, which 
we have here, and again they had lived eight 
days on one small salmon. 

They are young men about twenty-one 
years of age; one a Scotchman, a sailor by 
profession, and the other the son of German 
parents, from Minnesota, and a Catholic. 
The Scotchman is a Presbyterian, or at least 
his parents are, but he left home too young 
to know much about religion. 

When I examined their feet, I found them 



110 An American Missionary 

in a terrible condition; one had the heel and 
toes of both feet badly frozen, and by that 
time they were black. The other escaped 
better, only his two heels and the sole of one 
foot being hurt. For about two months 
they were not able to use their feet, and it 
was nearly four months before they could 
wear shoes. They left on the first steamer 
to go to the mining country to seek their 
fortune, just five months from the time they 
came. 

These men were very clever. When they 
were able to move about the room, I put up 
a carpenter's bench, and although they were 
not professionals, they made many useful 
things for me. 

We had to suffer a little for our charity, 
as last summer we received provisions for 
only two or three, and we had to make them 
do for five or six, so that everything was 
short. What we felt most was that we 
could afford to take only a limited amount 
of bread. We cooked twenty-five pounds of 
flour every week, making twenty-one loaves, 
one for each meal, which we cut into five 
pieces, one for each. Our principal food was 
rabbits — which, thank God, were very plen- 
tiful this year — sometimes stewed, some- 
times fried or baked, for variety; for, as the 
two sailors used to remark, we were afraid 
we would turn into rabbits. 



On the Yukon 111 

After Pentecost, when the snow became 
too soft to hunt the rabbits, we often wished 
we had more of them; but we had some sal- 
mon that we salted last year, which took 
their place, until the river broke. May the 
27th. Although we could not get fish in the 
main river then, because the water was too 
high, we got some in a side stream and a lake 
near by; but they did not continue to run, 
and when the steamer came in sight, on the 
14th of June, our last meal was on the table. 
We had two fish-nets out, and the men and 
the Brother had been out all the morning 
fishing with hooks, but had caught nothing. 

Rev. Father Superior, who had heard of 
our need, came up on the steamer bringing 
us all we wanted. Thus God in His good- 
ness, that we might recognize His provi- 
dence more clearly, waited until the last 
moment to come to our assistance. 

For my own part, I was not anxious, be- 
cause I felt certain that, as we had deprived 
ourselves for His sake, He would not fail to 
help us in the hour of need. 

This spring, I was also struck by a touch- 
ing instance of His goodness in sweetening 
even the little crosses He sometimes sends 
us for our good. 

On Sunday, March nth, I had a sick-call 
twelve miles up the river. The next day, the 
i2th, the feast of the canonization of St. 



112 An American Missionary 

Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier, I said Mass 
there, but with difficulty, because the canon- 
ical finger of my right hand was very sore. 
After Mass, I gave the Viaticum and Ex- 
treme Unction to a sick woman and then 
returned home, when I recognized that I had 
a bone-felon and therefore would not be able 
to say Mass for some time; but that same 
day, Father Ragaru, who had been away for 
a month, returned. It was nineteen days 
before I could again say Mass ; but, although 
the Father intended to leave before that, the 
weather compelled him to remain, so that we 
had Mass every day and I did not miss Holy 
Communion once on account of the felon. 

The past winter was the longest and most 
severe they have had here for many years. 
The snow-fall was by far the greatest I have 
seen, and the spells of severe cold more fre- 
quent and longer than usual. Generally we 
can travel only at night in April, because the 
trail is too soft during the day, but this year 
it was so cold that the sun was not able to 
effect anything. It was only at Pentecost, 
May 13th, that the sun got the better of Jack 
Frost, and began his work of destruction, 
when, as though conscious he had a mighty 
work to do, he went at it in good earnest, 
and in two weeks this immense river had 
risen about twenty feet. On Sunday, May 
27th, the ice began to go out. The next day 



On the Yukon 113 

at about seven o'clock in the evening, while 
the whole river was one mass of broken ice 
forcing its way out, the large cross, which 
had been erected two years ago on the spot 
where Archbishop Seghers was killed, passed 
down the middle of the river, borne along 
by the ice but standing perfectly erect and 
facing the bank. It was a fine sight to see 
it moving along in the bright sunlight, amid 
the roaring of that immense body of ice and 
water. We tolled the bell while it was pass- 
ing. The place where the Archbishop was 
killed is about forty miles above this. How 
far the cross went down the river we do not 
know. It looked as though it were sent 
ahead to give us warning of what was to 
come, for as soon as it passed, the river be- 
gan to rise rapidly. We had to remain up 
all night to watch it, and at three o'clock in 
the morning we took every thing from the 
church, which is nearer to the bank than our 
house. All that day the water continued to 
increase, forcing all the people in the village 
to take refuge on the mountain, and com- 
pletely surrounded our house, so that we 
could not leave it, except in the boat. By 
noon on Thursday, our cellars were full up 
to the floors ; so, not knowing what was com- 
ing, we boarded up the lower windows to 
prevent their being broken by the ice, and 
moved everything up stairs; but at 2 P. M., 



114 An American Missionary 

the water began to fall rapidly, as if a gorge 
had broken somewhere, and in about an hour 
it fell two feet, after which it subsided very 
slowly, and even now it is higher than it was 
at any time last year. 

When the water was at its height, we 
could see no land except the mountains, a 
thing which had never happened before in 
the memory of anyone. Immense cakes of 
ice three or four feet thick remained around 
the house and in the village after the water 
subsided but did no damage to anything, 
owing to a high mountain just here, which 
threw the current of the river to the other 
side and broke the force of the floating ice. 

The other village, which I have charge of, 
two miles below here, did not fare so well, 
as the water covered it completely, and the 
ice carried my church and all of the houses 
far back, leaving them a heap of ruins on the 
hillside. Some of the people from the vil- 
lage, who had gone to the other side of the 
river before the ice broke, thinking they 
would be perfectly safe there on the high 
bank, had a narrow escape. When they saw 
the water coming on them and had no higher 
ground to retreat to, they built themselves a 
house, elevated on poles as high as they 
could, and there they sought a last refuge. 
Fortunately it was just high enough, but 
with nothing to spare, for their feet were 



On the Yukon 115 

already in the water when it began to fall. 
All the villages for at least a hundred miles 
below here were washed away. 

Last summer was so wet that it was al- 
most impossible to dry fish, and now all 
along the river the Indians are in want of 
food, because the salmon, which is generally 
the first to come, has not begun to run yet. 
Everything this summer is two or three 
weeks later than other years. The Fathers 
on the coast were compelled to give, until 
they were in want themselves, because the 
Indians were actually starving, but I hope 
they have the salmon there by this time, and 
that we shall soon have it here also. 

Last January the most noted Medicine 
Man here was taken sick, and thought he 
was dying. He sent for me, saying he 
wanted to save his soul. As he had two 
wives and knew very well that was wrong, 
he sent one away, and declared before all the 
people that he would not take her back again, 
that he did not believe in the Medicine Men, 
and would not play any more, nor '' make 
medicine," as they say, if he got well; and, 
as he seemed to be truly in earnest, I heard 
his confession and anointed him. It would 
have been well for him if he had died then, 
but God gave him a chance to prove his sin- 
cerity, and allowed him to recover. But, 
with returning health, he relapsed into his 



116 An American Missionary 

former ways. On the night of April 3rd, he 
played as Medicine Man, and next morning 
died suddenly, God calling him without a 
moment's warning. Many looked on his 
sudden death as a punishment from God for 
not keeping his promises. I had many con- 
fessions the following days. 

Ten large girls or, as you would call them, 
young ladies, returned from the school at 
Holy Cross Mission, when the steamer came 
up. They are truly a great credit to the 
Sisters, so great is the change a few years 
at the school have made in them. They 
speak English without hesitation, have made 
their First Communion and been Confirmed, 
and are so zealous and devout. As soon as 
they came, I noticed how much more cour- 
ageous and open they were in the practice of 
their faith than those who came back last 
year, and before ; but the cause of the differ- 
ence did not occur to me until now, namely, 
that they have been the first to receive Con- 
firmation; for it was only when Father Tosi 
was in Rome last winter that the Holy 
Father gave him power to confer that Sac- 
rament. Never before have I seen its effects 
more evident, and I sincerely thank the Holy 
Spirit for thus manifesting His power in 
these first fruits of the Sacrament, for their 
own sanctification, and the great edification 
of all who see them. 



On the Yukon 117 

I feel greatly encouraged by the hope that 
when all our neophytes have received that 
holy Sacrament, which I hope will be some 
time during the coming winter, they too will 
become courageous to do and suffer for con- 
science' sake. In that case, this Mission 
will be firmly established, and with God's 
blessing we may hope to reap more abundant 
fruit from our labors in the future, for good 
example is a most powerful means to draw 
souls to God. 

On Wednesday, the 27th of this month, we 
had, for the first time, the full marriage cere- 
mony. Two of the girls from the school 
were married to two young men, brothers, 
one of whom has been living with us here for 
several years as interpreter. The day was 
the finest we have had this summer, warm 
and bright, and our little church never before 
looked so well, as only lately we put up a 
new altar, which was adorned with all the 
lights and flowers we have. Although not 
grand, it was neat and devotional. I think 
you would have been a little surprised, had 
you seen the two brides in their new calico 
dresses made for the occasion with all the 
skill they acquired during the four or five 
years with the Sisters, and their long white 
veils and wreaths of flowers. We had the 
Nuptial Mass, with all of its blessings, at 
which the four contracting parties received 



118 An American Missionary 

Holy Communion; all of which was well cal- 
culated to impress the Indians with the dig- 
nity of this Sacrament and make them 
understand how holy and inviolable is the 
union between those who receive it. 

Both couples live near the church, and as 
they manifest such good dispositions and are 
so well instructed, we have reason to hope 
they will prove an important addition to the 
Mission. 

All our Missions are steadily gaining 
ground, but the field is so large and the la- 
borers so few, and, what is more, we are very 
much cramped for means. Even with the 
greatest economy, on account of the distance 
from civilization, our expenses are great, 
while the means at our disposal are very 
limited. 

A school here would do much good, but 
we cannot afford it; and we ought to have 
stations at several points north of this, where 
many souls are being lost for want of atten- 
tion, but with our present means we cannot 
help them. 

I am sure there are many good people in 
the States, who would be happy to help us, 
if they knew our needs; so, whenever you 
have an opportunity, you will do a good 
work by making those needs known, so that 
all who wish may aid us in gaining to God 
this remote corner of the Union; for, al- 



On the Yukon 119 

though so far away from you, we are still on 
United States soil, of which we are con- 
stantly reminded by the flag, and by hearing 
the school children singing our national airs. 

In a Mission like this, everything is useful. 
All kinds of groceries and provisions, and es- 
pecially flour, rice, beans, and corn meal; 
dry-goods of every description, as blankets, 
quilts, calico, muslin, &c. ; hardware, stoves 
and kitchen furniture; church goods, candles, 
oil for sanctuary lamps, candlesticks, vases, 
flowers, altar linen, &c. ; boots and shoes for 
large and small; in a word, everything for 
church, school, or house use, or for food, 
clothing, bedding, &c., provided it is good, 
for the freight is too much to pay for worn- 
out or useless things, as old books and papers 
and the like. We are poor and therefore will 
not disdain the smallest offering, and as our 
field of labor is so vast, the largest may be 
turned to the glory of God and the salvation 
of souls. 

As our work is not a thing of the present 
only, but to continue year after year, it 
would be desirable that those who mav wish 
to help us by their charity, renew their offer- 
ings each year, as far as their means will 
allow. All offerings should be directed to 
one of the Fathers of the Mission, thus: 

Rev. , St. Michael, Alaska, care of 

Alaska Commercial Company, Sansone 



120 An American Missionary 

Street, San Francisco, Cal., and should be 
sent in time to reach there before the first of 
May, and the freight should be paid at least 
that far. 

I nearly forgot to tell you about a little 
experience I had on the 29th of January last, 
feast of St. Francis de Sales. I had been at 
the lower village to say the beads and teach 
catechism, and about half past five started 
to return. It was very dark and stormy, so 
that I could not see five feet ahead, but I 
thought I could keep the trail by feeling with 
my feet. For the first half-mile I went all 
right, passing a big snag that lay near the 
trail, and going some distance beyond it; but 
then I lost the trail, and only after feeling 
around for some time found it and started 
again. Presently I saw something black 
ahead of me, and could not imagine what it 
could be; so, with some misgivings, I kept 
on until I reached it, and what was my sur- 
prise when I found it was the snag I thought 
I had left a mile behind me. In finding the 
trail after I had lost it, I had turned around, 
and instead of going towards home was re- 
tracing my steps. After taking care to turn 
right about face, and remembering that the 
storm was blowing down the river, and 
therefore I should face it all the time, I 
started again, and made perhaps half a mile 
more, when I lost the trail again, and this 



^^m^^ 







^ii'Sntitllii 



^^ 



On the Yukon 121 

time for good. It was so dark that when I 
tried to retrace my steps I could not see the 
last footprint I had made. Once I was off 
the trail, the snow was above my waist, and 
every step was a labor. After trying some 
time, I gave up all hope of regaining the 
trail; and, keeping my face to the wind, tried 
to make what headway I could in the snow. 
After some time, I made a hole in the snow 
to rest, but I felt so sleepy I was afraid to 
stop long, and started off again, resolved to 
keep up as long as I could. So I wandered 
on for several hours, and was on the point 
of stopping, intending to pass the night in 
the snow, when I heard some one call. It 
was a welcome sound in the stillness of the 
night, and after answering the call for some 
time I met two Indians, whom the Brothers 
had sent out to look for me, and who led me 
to the house. 

The night was not very cold, about ten 
degrees below zero, so perhaps I would not 
have suffered seriously from sleeping out, 
but I was so warm from the exertion of walk- 
ing in the deep snow it would have been easy 
for me to have taken cold. I was three hours 
and a half, instead of a half-hour, coming up ; 
but, besides being very tired, I was none the 
worse for it. If I had taken my snow-shoes, 
losing the trail would not have been so seri- 
ous, but I knew the trail was good, and did 



122 An American Missionary 

not expect to be so late returning, nor did I 
foresee the driving snow-storm that so com- 
pletely shut out all view. 

One of our Fathers on the coast had a 
more narrow escape. He started with two 
Indians and three sleighs, each one of them 
taking a sleigh, to go from one station to 
another, expecting to be two or three days 
on the road, but the very day they started 
they were overtaken by one of those driving 
snow-storms, so common on the coast. 
When it came upon them, they were follow- 
ing close behind one another, the Father 
being the last; but soon they lost sight of 
one another, and of every landmark by which 
they could guide themselves, and what made 
it worse for the Father and the man in front, 
the middle sleigh had all the provisions. 

After a fruitless search for the others, as 
night came on the Father made his camp 
in the snow, and passed the night supperless. 
The next morning, it had cleared off enough 
to let him see the mountains, by which he 
knew that he was not far from the place they 
had left, so he returned, and all three met. 
It was fortunate the storm did not last 
longer, especially for the two without food. 

We are expecting at any moment the 
steamer which will take our letters to the 
coast. It is more than two weeks later than 
last year, and therefore may not be in time 



On the Yukon 123 

to catch the first boat leaving for San Fran- 
cisco. I shall not write to the others until 
I receive my mail, which I expect about the 
middle of July. 

I am well and have enjoyed good health 
all the year, and in fact ever since I came to 
the Mission, and the same may be said of all 
here; so I do not think any one need be afraid 
to come here on account of health. 

Some, I believe, have been frightened by 
things written from here in regard to food, 
imagining we sometimes have to live on de- 
cayed fish, &c., but as far as I have heard, 
none of us have been reduced to that, nor 
have we so far been in want of good, healthy 
food, though occasionally, as in my own case 
this year, we have been very near it, but God 
has always come to our assistance in the nick 
of time. 

We have beautiful weather now, moder- 
ately warm, clear, and bright, with full 
daylight all the time, so that we almost for- 
get during these three months what night 
means, and what a star looks like, for we 
never see one. In the fishing camps espec- 
ially, the Indians pay no attention to time, 
but each one sleeps and eats when he feels 
like it, so that the camp is as busy at mid- 
night as it is at midday. I know the sever- 
ity of our winters has frightened some, who 
have not been where the cold is severe, but 



124 An American Missionary 

it has no terrors for those who have ex- 
perienced it, and there seems to be something 
about this country that fascinates all who 
come here, for I have never yet met one, even 
of those who come to make money, who 
wished to leave it as long as he could get 
something to do. 

Good-by for another year, unless I get 
time to send you a few words by the last 
steamer. 

In the union of the Sacred Heart I remain, 

Your affectionate Brother, 

William H. Judge, S. J. 

The Missionary's undiminished fraternal 
affection manifests itself in a letter written 
at this time to his younger brother: 

Nulato, Alaska, July 24th, 1894. 

Dear Brother: 

I have just read a second time your two 
letters, which I received on the 19th inst. I 
cannot tell you what feelings of pleasure and 
gratitude they awaken within me. Every 
line tells me you are happy, and I can truly 
say in your regard, what the old Romans 
were wont to say when saluting a friend: 
'' If you are happy, I am happy." You can- 
not be too grateful to God for all He has 
done for you; and there is no better means 



On the Yukon 125 

to obtain God's blessings in the future, than 
to be thankful for those already received. 
But remember that a true Christian blesses 
God no less when He sends crosses and 
trials, than when He gives things most 
pleasing to nature. So, you must be always 
prepared to say, with holy Job, '' the Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed 
be the name of the Lord.'' 

If we keep well in mind the truth that 
God loves us as His own children, with an 
infinite and most tender love, and watches 
over us with so great care that not a hair 
falls from our heads without His knowledge 
and permission, it will not be hard to under- 
stand that whatever happens to us in this 
life, is for our greater good, if we receive it 
as we should. This truth is the philoso- 
pher's stone, which has the power of turning 
all things into gold; for, as soon as it is ap- 
plied to the sorrows of this life, it renders 
them sweet and delightful, because the love 
of the Giver more than compensates for the 
bitterness of the gift; or rather, it changes 
the bitterness into sweetness. 

Some one sent me the papers containing 
the account of the Cardinal's Jubilee. It 
was the first I had heard of it. Everything 
concerning him has peculiar interest for me; 
for, he was my confessor when he was only 
a priest, and directed and encouraged me 



126 An American Missionary 

during the long years I was uncertain about 
my future. For, although from my earliest 
years I believed God called me to the Priest- 
hood, still, for many years, I could not see 
how I was to attain to it. 

It is such a commonplace thing for me to 
be well, that it is easy for me to forget to 
mention it in my letters. This year has been 
no exception to the common rule, a bone- 
felon and a little neuralgia being the only 
splinters of the cross, in that line, that fell 
to my lot. 

So far this promises to be a good year for 
fish. I hope it may continue so, for dry fish 
is here like flour in the States; if we have a 
good supply of that, there is no real want or 
suffering. Good-by. May God bless you! 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The source of the Missionary's strength is 
shown in a letter written two days later, in 
which he says: '^As you say, we have the 
same Sweet Heart to rest on as you have; 
and, if He is with us what does it matter 
what else is wanting; for ' he who possesses 
God, possesses all things.' It was this 
thought — namely that being a priest, no 
matter where I might go, I could hope al- 
ways to have our Lord in the Blessed Sac- 
rament — that gave me courage to leave all 
that was dear to me in the East, both in the 



On the Yukon 127 

family and in Religion; nor have I been dis- 
appointed in my hopes. Without that 
blessed Presence the mission life would in- 
deed be a dreary one at times, or rather at 
all times/' 

A few weeks later an event occurred which 
drew Father Judge a step nearer the scene 
of his future great work. It is well however 
to remember that the world was yet wholly 
ignorant of the treasure that lay concealed 
along the banks of the tiny tributary of the 
Yukon, which was soon to become so world- 
famous. 

The change is described in the letters that 
follow. 



CHAPTER VI. 
FORTY MILE POST AND CIRCLE CITY. 

"Man proposes but God disposes." 

Steamer Arctic, 
Yukon River, beyond the Arctic Circle, 

Aug. 23, 1894. 
Dear : 

I am on the go again; and this time, I 
have more reason to say "good-by!'' 
than heretofore, because I am leaving the 
United States. When the A. C. Company's 
steamer came to Nulato a week ago, it 
brought me orders from Father Superior to 
go to a place called Forty Mile, v^hich is an 
old trading-post, and now the largest min- 
ing-camp on the Yukon. I believe there are 
eight or nine hundred miners there this year 
besides the Indians, who also are miners. It 
is in British Columbia, about ten miles be- 
yond our boundary, and 1,600 miles from the 
mouth of the Yukon. 

I shall be all alone there this year and a 
thousand miles from any of our Fathers, too 
far to send in a hurry if I should need them. 

128 







o 

H 

w 

O 
H 




Forty Mile Post and Circle City 129 

Father Superior wished to start a Mission 
there long ago, but he could not spare the 
men. This year the CathoHcs among the 
miners begged so hard for a priest, that he 
could hardly refuse them. 

Four days later, but still on the steamer 
heading southeast from the Arctic Circle, he 
speaks of his new move in these terms : — 

Steamer Arctic, 

Yukon River, Alaska, Aug. 27th, 1894. 

I send you this as a '' good-by '' for the 
year, and to let you know where I shall 

spend the coming winter This time 

I believe I am coming nearer to you, al- 
though I am leaving the United States.* . . 
I have been taken from my good Indians at 
Nulato, where I was so happy, and sent here. 
I had no notice of the change until the 
steamer, which was to take me away, came; 
so I had to take hurriedly what I could, and 
leave, without time to say '' good-by.'' But 
I assure you, I have never felt happier or 
more like a Jesuit than I do now; and I am 
sure it will not be long before I am as much 
attached to this new Mission as I was to the 
other. ... 

* A glance at the map will show the reader that the Yukon 
flows from the southeast till it curves across the Arctic Circle; 
when, as if recoiling from the polar regions, the great river 
flows southwest to Bering Sea. 



130 An American Missionary 

Of course, miners, as a rule, '' ain't no 
saints''; but I am not afraid, and in fact I 
rather like to deal with such men. They are 
from every part of the world; to-day I met 

one, a Catholic, from Damascus I 

trust much to your prayers. 

Sacred Heart Mission, 
Shag-aluk River, Alaska, May 25th, 1895. 
Dear Brother: 

When I closed my last letter to you, I left 
you under the impression that I would spend 
the winter at Forty Mile, among the miners, 
and so I thought, and so the Superiors in- 
tended, but '' Man proposes but God dis- 
poses." How little do we know what the 
future will bring, or what we shall do to- 
morrow ! When I wrote you, I was already 
on the steamer going to Forty Mile, and yet 
God had other designs. The morning after 
we left Nulato, I heard a crash in the Cap- 
tain's cabin, which was next to mine, and 
you can imagine my feelings when, shortly 
afterwards, he told me he had broken the 
demijohn of Mass wine, which had been put 
in his charge at Holy Cross Mission, and 
which was to serve me for the whole year. 
This caused me not a little worry; but, as 
they were confident then that they could 
make another trip before the river got too 
low, I went on, with the gloomy prospect of 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 131 

being six weeks or more without Mass, for 
it would take the steamer that long to re- 
turn. 

It was the first time I had been so far up 
the Yukon. I had not been beyond Nulato, 
which is about six hundred miles from the 
mouth, while Forty Mile is about sixteen 
hundred miles from St. Michael. The river is 
very much the same all the way up, except in 
one place, where there are mountains on both 
sides,'^ while elsewhere they are only on one 
side. The only little incident that happened 
on the way up to break the monotony of the 
steamer life, occurred one morning after we 
had passed a place called Birch Creek, where 
we took on twenty-six miners. About four 
A. M., when many were not yet up, the pilot 
saw two moose trying to cross the river some 
distance ahead of the steamer, and at once 
began to blow the whistle, which had a 
double effect — first, to frighten the moose 
and so keep them from gaining the banks, 
and secondly, to arouse everyone on the 
steamer. In a few moments the whole front 

* The Lower Ramparts of the Yukon. " At this point," 
says a late writer, " the river emerges from a noble series of 
steep hills guarding its waters on both sides. They extend 
along its course for two hundred miles, and are so embattled 
in appearance as to give to this part of the country the ap- 
pellation of Ramparts. For this entire distance the Yukon 
is half a mile wide, with rapid, smooth current, and deep 
enough to float an ocean liner." 

Lynch — '* Three Years in the Klondike." 



132 An American Missionary 

of the steamer was ablaze with repeating 
rifles, so that the poor things had no chance 
for life. Mr. G., one of the members of the 
A. C. Company from San Francisco, was the 
first to hit them while yet in the water, at 
seven hundred yards. For ten or fifteen min- 
utes there was a perfect rain of bullets all 
around them, and yet they received only 
three or four wounds. 

When we reached Forty Mile, I rented a 
cabin, got some flour, bacon, and tea from 
the trader, and started housekeeping in true 
hermit style. After looking around for a few 
days I started to build a log-house for my- 
self, but when I had the first round of logs 
on, the steamer returned from up the river, 
and then they told me that they might not 
be able to get back from St. Michael, on ac- 
count of low water in some parts of the river. 
I had, in the meantime, tried to find some- 
thing that could be used for Mass wine; but 
no one except the Episcopal Bishop had any, 
and he would not give it. So I thought the 
safest thing would be to go down to Holy 
Cross on the steamer, get the wine and other 
things I needed, and return, if the steamer 
could get up. Two things especially 
moved me to this: first, I did not like the 
idea of being a whole year without Mass; 
and secondly, I thought it would make a bad 
impression, in a mixed community like that, 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 133 

to have Catholic service, without Mass. 
Having taken this resolution, I at once ar- 
ranged my affairs with the trader and started 
down. 

After I had been about a week at Holy 
Cross, the steamer came on its way up again, 
with a cargo of about one hundred tons of 
provisions, which would be badly needed at 
Forty Mile during the winter, the captain 
hoping to get up, even if he could not get 
back again. Again I started for Forty Mile, 
having made sure of the safety of the Mass 
wine this time. All went well the first two 
days, but on the third day the captain, who 
was making the trip against his will, quar- 
reled with the purser and left the boat, say- 
ing he would never be able to get up. The 
next day, the chief pilot said he was 
going to leave because he had no winter 
clothes with him, but in truth because he 
thought they would pay him whatever he 
asked rather than let him go; but he was 
mistaken, for they let him go. We were for- 
tunate enough to find at one of the stopping- 
places an Indian, who had been chief pilot 
for many years, but who is now mining, 
having discovered a creek, which bears his 
name, and which is said to be as rich as any 
yet found here."*" 

*The name of this intelligent Indian was Manook or 
Minook. The latter name was given not only to the creek 



134 An American Missionary 

After this, all went well until we got to 
what is called Fort Yukon, a place where the 
Hudson Bay Company had a large fort and 
trading-post, but where there is now only a 
warehouse, built last year, for storing the 
goods of the trader. For some miles beyond 
this point the river becomes very wide and 
shallow, which makes it difficult for the 
steamer to pass, except when the river is 
high. We arrived at Fort Yukon in the 
evening and remained there over night, so as 
to have full daylight to make the trial, for 
we knew it would be close work, if we got 
through at all. At three o'clock next morn- 
ing we started out, and in about one hour 
came to one of the worst places. Here we 
stuck and for more than an hour tried place 
after place, and even sent a small boat to 
sound and find out if there were water 
enough anywhere for us to pass, but all in 
vain; so we returned to Fort Yukon, where 
we left the cargo. We sent word by an In- 
dian to Forty Mile, which is about three 
hundred miles from Fort Yukon, telling the 
trader at the former place where we were 
leaving the provisions, so that in case of ur- 
gent need he could come for them with 
sleighs when the river would be closed. 

which flows into the Yukon at the western extremity of the 
Ramparts, but also to the town just below the mouth of the 
creek. The town is now known as Rampart or Rampart City. 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 135 

I had now to make another election and to 
decide whether to remain and try to get to 
Forty Mile by sleigh in the winter, or to re- 
turn to Holy Cross. After saying Mass, re- 
citing the Veni Creator, and considering the 
chances on the one hand of getting up to 
Forty Mile, and on the other of being left at 
Fort Yukon all the year, I determined to re- 
turn. Of course, the Father Superior was 
disappointed when I returned, and so was I; 
but I had done my best and I felt confident 
that it had all so happened by the special 
appointment of God, to bring about what He 
wished. 

When I returned to Holy Cross, winter 
was already setting in, so I could not go 
anywhere until the sleighing season began, 
which would be in about a month. This 
time I spent very happily with the Father 
Superior and Father Crimont, who had just 
come from the States and whom I knew at 
Woodstock, and the three Brothers. To- 
gether they make up our largest community. 
What added very much to the happiness of 
those weeks of reunion was that we made 
our retreat all together. 

As soon as the retreat was over, I started 
in company with a Brother and an Indian 
for this station on the Shagaluk to open this 
house, which I began to build three years 
ago; but I had to leave before it was half up. 



136 An American Missionary 

In the meantime, two Brothers had come and 
finished the walls and put on the roof, but 
nothing more. We had two sleighs loaded 
very heavily, for we needed so many things 
— provisions, bedding, tools, stove, etc., and 
besides we had only eleven dogs for the two 
sleighs, which would not have been too many 
for one, especially as they were not as good 
as they might have been, half of them being 
pups only one year old. However, we got 
along very well, with a little hard work 
when the road was not good. The first day 
we made about twenty-five miles, and at dark 
camped for the night in an old Indian sum- 
mer house. 

These summer houses consist generally of 
a lot of sticks about as thick as a man's arm 
standing side by side, making an inclosure 
about eight feet square and six feet high, 
and a roof of the same kind of sticks, with 
a hole in the centre to let off the smoke, all 
covered with moss and clay. The one we 
camped in was minus the moss and clay on 
two sides; but it was better than camping 
outside, with a temperature of twenty de- 
grees below zero, so we went to work to fix 
it up as best we could. 

I began by covering the two sides, from 
which the moss had fallen, with my blanket; 
then we covered the remaining holes with a 
piece of drill, which we had brought for 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 137 

trading, and made a fire inside, Indian fash- 
ion; but we could not stand the smoke, so 
we unpacked our sleighs and got out a box- 
stove we had, put it up, with two or three 
pieces of pipe running through the smoke- 
hole in the roof, shut everything up as well 
as we could, and made a good fire, which 
soon made it quite comfortable. After cook- 
ing and enjoying our supper, Brother and I 
performed our religious exercises together, 
filled up the stove, and prepared a supply of 
wood for the night. We had a good sleep, 
and in the morning I said Mass, after which 
we took our breakfast, broke up camp, and 
started. About noon we stopped for a din- 
ner of dried fish, tea, and mush made of 
boiled flour, which you might find a little 
heavy; but when one is travelling in the cold, 
it is very good eaten with a little molasses. 

That evening we reached a place called 
Nekakai, where an Indian has a log house, 
the only one in that neighborhood, and 
stopped there for the night. The house once 
had a good furnace made of stones and mud 
that made it very comfortable, but for want 
of repairs it had become unfit for use, and, 
Indian-like, the family had gone to live in a 
mud house near by. As soon as we arrived, 
we took possession of the log house, and 
when we saw that we could not make a fire 
in the old furnace, we got out our stove 



138 An American Missionary 

again and put it up. This house is about 
10 X 14 feet and divided into two rooms, one 
of which I had to myself. Here we had a 
good night's rest, said Mass, and after 
breakfast continued our journey. About 
nine o'clock we reached the first regular vil- 
lage on the road, and we stopped for about 
an hour while I baptized two children. 

About noon the same day we met a party 
of Indians, who told me there was, at a little 
village somewhat out of our way, a child 
who was very sick, and who had not been 
baptized. At once, I started to go there^ 
but it was after nightfall when I arrived, not 
a little fatigued, and you can imagine my 
sorrow when they told me the little one had 
died in the morning. I did not mind the 
fatigue of the journey, as long as I had the 
hope of saving that Httle soul, but God 
willed it otherwise. We spent the night in 
the village, and next morning after Mass 
and breakfast resumed our march, arriving 
at our journey's end about ten o'clock. 

We found this house, or at least the walls 
and roof of the house (for there were no 
floors or partitions yet) so covered with 
frost inside that one would have thought it 
was made of ice or snow. With very little 
delay we spread some loose boards in the 
middle of the house, put the stove on them, 
and ran the pipe through an opening in- 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 139 

tended for a door at the back. Then we 
made a hot fire, and by two o'clock had slap- 
jacks and tea ready for dinner. Very soon 
the heat from the stove began to melt the 
frost on the walls and roof, and for two or 
three days it was difficult to find a place 
where one could keep dry. 

It was Saturday when we got here, and 
immediately after dinner I went over to the 
village on the other side of the river, to see 
a young man, whom I had baptized when 
here three years ago, and who, I heard be- 
fore starting, was now dying of consumption. 
When I went into the mud house where he 
lived, I found him on the ground near the 
fire, his face black with smoke, and so weak 
that he could not move and could scarcely 
speak. I had him put on the side shelf or 
ledge, which is raised above the ground, and 
got some water and washed his face and 
hands, for which he was most grateful. 
Then I heard his confession and tried to 
prepare him for death, as I saw he was very 
near the end. The next day, Sunday, I 
anointed him, and when I went to see him on 
Monday, I found him in his agony, so I re- 
mained with him, saying the beads in Indian 
and repeating the Holy Names until he died. 

As soon as the death-stroke came, which 
was some minutes before he drew his last 
breath, all his relatives, men and women, 



140 An American Missionary 

stripped to the waist and began to cry or 
wail in a most mechanical manner, waving 
their arms over his body in a frantic way. 
It was the first time I had been present when 
one of the natives died, and I was not pre- 
pared for this demonstration, but I remained 
kneeling at his head repeating the Holy 
Names until I was sure he was dead. Then 
I made them put on their clothes and would 
not let them touch him until I had said the 
beads again for the repose of his soul. He 
had been a good young man, and it seemed 
as though God kept him alive until I came to 
give him the Sacraments. 

As soon as we got one-fourth of the floor 
of our house down, I started to build an al- 
tar, and in two weeks I was able to say Mass 
on it; but, although I was very anxious to 
have the Blessed Sacrament in the house, I 
was not able to finish the altar and chapel 
until Holy Thursday. The chapel is four- 
teen feet wide and ten feet deep and 
separated by folding doors from the Indian 
room, fourteen feet by twenty feet, which 
serves as the body of the church during ser- 
vices. Just inside the door is the altar-rail- 
ing, the first, I believe, in Alaska. The altar 
has two steps and is nine feet over all. Noth- 
ing gives me more happiness than to be able 
to have things nice for our dear Lord in the 
Sacrament of His Love, and therefore I am 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 141 

most grateful to those who send me any- 
thing for the altar or the chapel. The house 
is thirty feet long and twenty-four feet wide. 
Up-stairs there is a half-story over all, except 
the chapel, which gives storage, a place for 
one or two Indian boys, whom I generally 
keep, and a room for a Brother, when I am 
happy enough to have one. At present I 
have charge of six villages, this one, two 
down the river, and three up, so that I am 
nearly in the middle of the Mission. 

On the 7th of January I started to visit the 
three upper villages. When I arrived at the 
last of the three, which is about fifty miles 
from this house, I found the people making 
what they call a feast, which is a supersti- 
tious performance, by which they believe 
they will obtain all they need for the coming 
year. At first they would not let me go into 
the Casino. When I told them I would not 
speak against their performance while in 
there, they allowed me to go in. I was glad, 
because I had never seen the whole business 
before, and I wished to know just how much 
superstition there is in these feasts. I will 
try to describe all I saw that night, so that 
you may know what we have to work 
against. 

This Casino is about twenty-five by forty 
feet, the side walls about eight feet high, 
with a roof slanting from the walls to the 



142 An American Missionary 

centre, where is the window, which is about 
sixteen feet from the floor. During these 
feasts they put four sticks (about six feet 
high, and four or five inches wide, and dec- 
orated with feathers and drawings of ani- 
mals), one a few feet from each wall, at the 
four sides of the room. They believe that 
these sticks contain spirits, which have 
power to make them live or die, and that if 
anyone go between these sticks and the wall, 
he will die. Then they make hundreds of 
sticks about the size of a yardstick, on one 
end of which they carve rudely different ani- 
mals, fish, bags of flour or tea, and every- 
thing they desire to get. These they place 
side by side all around the Casino, just 
where the roof joins the wall, and they be- 
lieve the more of these sticks they place in 
the Casino during the feast, the more things 
they will get. 

They never have their performances in the 
day time, but always at night, and generally 
begin them about six o'clock, which is full 
night here in winter. When all is ready, all 
the people come in, young and old, men, 
women, and children, the men occupying the 
large bench or shelf, which runs all around, 
and the women and children sitting on the 
floor and filling every corner, leaving only 
the centre of the room clear. On one side of 
this opening, that night, there were six men 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 143 

with hoops covered with seal bladders 
stretched Hke drum-heads, and all night long 
they beat these with small, flat sticks, keep- 
ing time to the singing, which they kept up 
all night, sometimes in solo, sometimes in 
chorus. It was the best Indian singing I 
have heard since I came here. They sang 
in this way until near midnight, when they 
brought in another stick dressed with 
feathers like the others, and placed it in the 
middle of the room. Then a woman and a 
girl dressed for the occasion with feathers 
on their heads and feathers tied on their fin- 
gers, came before the stick and began to bow 
and bow to it, first at a little distance, then 
gradually drawing nearer, until they got 
close to it, when they got down on their 
knees and bowed down to the floor many 
times. 

During all this, the men were beating their 
drums and the people singing. After some 
time the woman and the girl disappeared 
through a hole in the floor, the stick that had 
received so much homage was removed, and 
the singing went on as before. When I 
spoke with some of the most intelligent of 
the men and tried to show them that these 
sticks had no power to help them, their only 
answer was : '' When we do this way, we 
have plenty, but when we do not do it, we 
have nothing." Again, to show you what 



144 An American Missionary 

reverence they have for the Medicine Man: 
in another village, on one occasion, they shut 
the window in the top of the Casino before 
all the smoke was out; and when they per- 
ceived that, one of the men took an old 
Shaman's glove, put it on a stick, and stuck 
it up in the middle of the room. When I 
asked what that was for, they told me it 
would prevent the smoke from making them 
sick. After arguing with them for a while, I 
took the glove and beat it as hard as I could 
with my fist and said to them, " See, I beat 
it, and it has no power to hurt me!" But, as 
before, they only answered, '' If we do that, 
we do not get sick; but if we do not put it 
there, we get sick.'' On my trip I baptized 
five infants, one of whom died about two 
months afterwards. To see these little ones 
go to heaven is one of our greatest consola- 
tions at present. It is very hard to get the 
old people to give up the superstitions they 
have been educated in from their childhood; 
all we can do is to instruct them as well as 
we can, and try to save them at the last 
moment . Many of the young are better 
disposed, and I think, in time, with constant 
teaching, they will give up these supersti- 
tions. 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 145 

Holy Cross Mission, 
Feast of the Sacred Heart. 

I started from my Mission to come here 
on the 27th of May in a boat I had built for 
the purpose. The distance is seventy-five 
miles by the river, and I expected to make it 
in one dav, but the mouth of the river was 
gorged with ice, which almost stopped the 
current, so we had to paddle all the way. 
The second night we met the ice about fifteen 
miles from the mouth of the Shagaluk and 
had to stop. Next morning it had moved 
down, so we started again; but, after going 
about five miles, we overtook it and at first 
thought we would have to wait. However, 
after going along the bank for some distance 
and examining it, we found that on account 
of the little current in the river the ice was 
not so compact as it generally is, so we 
determined to try to make our way through 
it. At first it was close work, and would 
have been dangerous if there had been any 
current, but after working among the ice for 
about three hours, we came to clear water 
again, which lasted until we got to the 
mouth of the river, which we found entirely 
blocked up. 

As it was near noon, we stopped and pre- 
pared our dinner, which consisted of a duck 
roasted on a stick over a camp-fire, without 



146 An American Missionary 

any bread or vegetables. In fact, I had been 
living chiefly on geese and ducks for nearly 
a month, so that the prospect of waiting two 
or three days for the ice to go out was far 
from being pleasant. 

While we were taking our simple dinner, 
three Indians came down in their canoes, 
wishing also to get over to the Mission. 
After talking the matter over and sending a 
man up a tree to try to see if the Yukon 
were clear of ice, the Indians said they knew 
a way to get to the Yukon by making a long 
portage across the country and following a 
slough. I determined to leave my boat with 
my boy and an Indian, who would bring it 
as soon as the river was open, and to go 
myself with the three Indians by the portage. 

After going a short distance in the canoes, 
we landed and carried them two or three 
miles across the country to a slough of the 
Yukon, which, though not clear of ice, was 
sufficiently so to allow our canoes to go. 
After following this for about two hours, 
we came in sight of the Yukon, which, to our 
great relief, we found entirely clear of ice, so 
all we had to do was to cross the Yukon and 
we were at the Mission, where we arrived at 
7 P. M., just in time for the Benediction after 
May service. 

Since I came here, I have been delighted 
to see the piety of the school children, boys 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 147 

and girls. In March, Father Superior made 
the trip to Kotzebue Sound, and selected a 
place for a Mission, which he hoped to start 
this year, if we got any men. His health was 
not good when he started, and it was a long 
and difficult journey. For the success of this 
undertaking Father Crimont who has charge 
of the boys, and the Sisters, started a kind 
of Apostleship of Prayer among the children, 
by which they were to offer up prayers, good 
works, and penances for Father Tosi and 
the success of his trip. You would be aston- 
ished, as I was myself, to see the list of heroic 
acts of charity, mortification, and self-denial 
performed by these Indian children during 
the month of March — taking the discipline 
at night, eating their meals on the floor, 
keeping hours of silence during the time they 
are allowed to speak, etc. 

During the month of May they did the 
same in honor of our Blessed Mother, offer- 
ing the acts to her on the day of the May pro- 
cession at the end of the month. But during 
this month, June, and especially during the 
novena to the Sacred Heart, they have sur- 
passed themselves. I do not think they have 
been outdone by the same number of white 
children in any school; so their generosity 
may be a spur even to your boys. 

Just at the beginning of the novena to the 
Sacred Heart, one of the girls was taken 



148 An American Missionary 

sick; the next day, as there were evident 
signs that she was going into a coma, the 
Father heard her confession, gave her the 
Viaticum, and anointed her. When she re- 
ceived the Sacraments, she was perfectly 
conscious, but shortly after, the coma came 
on However, at times she regained con- 
sciousness, and Sunday night she prayed 
all night and told the Sister she would go to 
heaven on Wednesday. At noon on Monday 
she again became insensible, and at seven 
o'clock in the evening died without a strug- 
gle. She had been a good girl, very devout 
to the Sacred Heart. She was about four- 
teen years old and had been with the Sisters 
three or four years. 

Our May procession, although not so 
grand as yours, was very devotional, and 
made me feel very happy, for they sang the 
same litanies and hymns as we used to sing 
in the grand processions at Loyola. We pre- 
pared two altars outside for the Corpus 
Christi procession. The feast-day itself was 
a beautiful day; but, as we expected back, 
for Sunday, Father Superior, Father Robaut, 
and two Brothers, who were away, we put 
off the procession to that day, and to our 
great disappointment it rained nearly all day, 
so we could not have it. 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 149 

St. Michael, July. 

On the 24th of June the steamer Arctic 
arrived at Holy Cross Mission, having on 
board all the traders from the upper river. 
This first down trip of the A. C. Company's 
boat is a great event at the Mission, because 
the children always give a little entertain- 
ment to the agents of the Company, the 
traders, and any white passengers who may 
chance to be on board. The children are 
very anxious for the arrival of this steamer, 
and often go to the top of the mountain to 
see if there is any sign of it. 

Its arrival was most opportune this year. 
The children saw the smoke from the 
mountain about one hour before the boat 
arrived, and at once began to prepare for the 
great event of the year. When the steamer 
came, the weather was clear and bright, and 
the Mission never looked better. The chil- 
dren, boys and girls, were drawn up in two 
lines to receive the visitors, and one of the 
boys read a nice little address of welcome 
to the head agent of the A. C. Company, who 
was among them. After the address, the 
children filed into the large schoolroom, fol- 
lowed by the visitors. The Sisters had pre- 
pared a long program; but the steamer had 
been delayed, and the agent was very anx- 
ious to reach St. Michael before the ocean 



150 An American Missionary 

steamer arrived there; so they left out much 
that had been prepared, giving only a song 
of welcome, some specimens of reading, a 
second address and a few more songs, the 
last of which was '' Wait for the Wagon." 

Although the entertainment was so short, 
all were astonished at what they saw and 
heard. When the next steamer goes up, it is 
likely the children will have a chance to give 
the whole program. The boys read at table 
for the Fathers, and I can safely say they are 
not inferior to any white boys of the same 
age. 

The ocean steamer arrived here Saturday, 
June 29th, bringing only one Father and one 
Brother, while we were hoping for at least 
three Fathers and as many Brothers. There 
are so many calls on us, from both whites 
and Indians, that Rev. Father Superior is 
truly puzzled how to supply so many de- 
mands with so few subjects. 

During the past year this station has been 
completely renewed by the new agent of the 
A. C. Company. The old buildings have all 
been remodeled or repaired, and many new 
buildings have been added, among them sev- 
eral large warehouses, a large boarding- 
house for the traders and visitors, and pri- 
vate houses. We have a double house for 
the first time ; heretofore we had only rooms 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 151 

in the Company's houses ; or, when they were 
full, we lived in our tents. 

The number of whites in the country is in- 
creasing very rapidly and, consequently, the 
demand for food. Every year since I came, 
the A. C. Company has been doubling its 
suppHes ; but, even with what the new Com- 
pany brings, it has been, until this year, close 
work, especially for the upper country. 
The A. C. Company will put on two new 
river steamers this summer, one very large 
which will carry at least three hundred tons, 
and one small which will remain in the upper 
river to supply the stations above Forty Mile. 

The Yukon river passes just in front of the 
Mission, about a hundred yards from the 
fence. This year we have extended the gar- 
den to within a few feet of the river-bank. 
Last year the Sisters raised a quantity of fine 
cauHflower, and both Fathers and Sisters had 
potatoes, turnips, cabbage, and other vegeta- 
bles all the year, and were able to give them 
frequently to the children, who are especially 
fond of raw turnips, and who enjoy much 
better health since we have been able to give 
them in abundance. 

This year we hope to have potatoes enough 
to give them to the children daily. I have 
not yet enjoyed the luxury of vegetables, 
except for short intervals, as I have always 
run away from Missions, when they began to 



152 An American Missionary 

have vegetables, to go to stations where 
there were none. 

Among our children is the daughter of 
the Russian priest, which shows that our 
school has a very good name. We also have 
the children of nearly all the traders. One of 
the larger girls is already able to play the 
organ at Mass. Many of the children are 
fond of music, and some show unusual talent 
for it. I wish we had some violins and other 
instruments for the boys. It would add very 
much to the school if we could have a band, 
but we are too poor to buy the instruments 
and music. 

Many boys and girls have left the school 
and are doing well; some of the boys are em- 
ployed by the A. C. Company, others are 
clerking for the traders and giving great sat- 
isfaction. Several girls who have been mar- 
ried to good young men (Indians) give great 
promise for the future, and they cannot fail 
to do much good to those around them. 

There have not been many children at the 
new school, which we opened last year, but 
only because we did not wish too many until 
the Sisters had time to prepare. We can 
have as many children at the school as we 
wish; the only limit is, how many have we 
the means to support. If we could only 
make our needs known to those who have 
the means to help us, I am sure many would 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 153 

be happy to aid us in this good work. The 
boarding-schools produce soHd fruit, and ac- 
compHsh it more quickly and better than 
any other means; but, of course, they are ex- 
pensive, and we have been notified that the 
little help the Government has been giving 
us will be discontinued for the future, so we 
now depend entirely on charity for the sup- 
port of the Mission. 

We have been blessed with an unusually 
fine spring and summer this year, and what 
adds very much, we have never seen so few 
mosquitoes. 

We now have ten Fathers, seven Brothers, 
and eleven Sisters; but what is that for such 
an immense country? When will the Lord 
hear our prayers and send laborers into his 
vineyard ? 

Thank God I am well, and as happy as 
ever. I love this Mission and would be very 
sorry to return to the States, even for a 
short time. Even to come here (to St. Mi- 
chael) is a penance, as it keeps me from my 
Mission so long; and, what is worse, as so 
few new missionaries came to join us this 
year. Father Superior may be compelled to 
send me to some new station. Fiat volun- 
tas Dei! 

Now I think I have given you a good idea 
of my simple year's work, and hope you will 
not find it altogether uninteresting. 



154 An American Missionary 

I cannot tell you now where I shall spend 
the coming year, but I shall try to write you 
later, when it is settled. In the union of the 
Sacred Heart, I remain. 

Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

Fraternal affection, gratitude to God, and 
cheerful courage, becoming stronger amid 
the hardships of Mission work, are mani- 
fested in other letters written from St. Mi- 
chael in the summer of this year. 

" You always ask me," he writes, '' to tell 
you everything about myself, and I try to do 
so; although I am almost afraid, because 
you exaggerate things so much, making 
what is nothing something very heroic. 

''I was very happy this year with my good 
Indians, at the Sacred Heart Mission, and I 
had plenty to eat all the year; but, about the 
first of May, my flour began to run out, so I 
had to put myself on short allowance. At 
first, I had two cups of flour a day, which was 
good enough, although three cups would 
have been much better; then I got to one cup 
a day; and, the last week before I came to 
Holy Cross Mission, I had no cup. Still 
there was no danger of starvation or even of 
being very hungry, as I had plenty of geese, 
ducks, and fish ; but to eat these three times a 
day without bread or vegetables is harder 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 155 

than one, who has not tried it, would think. 
When I had only two cups of flour left, I 
woke up one night about twelve o'clock, 
feeling very sick; and shortly after I began 
to vomit as though I had been poisoned. 
But I think it was only a bihous attack 
brought on by eating so much meat at the 
time of the year when we do not need it. 

''The next day I was unable to eat any- 
thing but broken ice. The second day was 
the feast of the Ascension. With difflculty, 
I said Mass and got my Indian boy to cook 
the two cups of flour, making two short- 
cakes, one of which I took that day, but kept 
the other for several days, taking only a 
little piece at each meal. If I had not been 
sick it would not have been so hard, but I 
could not bear the sight of meat for some 
days. The day before I got sick, I had a sud- 
den inspiration to communicate as though 
it were my Viaticum, and I did so. When I 
woke up the next night feeling so sick, I 
could not help thinking that it might be the 
beginning of the end and that the commun- 
ion of the morning was really the Viaticum, 
as there was no priest within fifty miles, and 
it was impossible to send word at that season 
when the snow was melting and the rivers 
not yet clear of ice. But, as A Kempis says, 
I was not worthy to pass to my reward yet ; 
and so I must strive now with the help of 



156 An American Missionary 

your prayers to prepare better. I expect to 
be alone again this year, for nine or ten 
months; but do not fear, for I feel confi- 
dent that He, for whose sake I am leaving 
all, even the Sacraments, will not forsake 
me in the hour of need/' 

To one of his brothers, he says: '' I assure 
you I have never felt really separated from 
you. You are so constantly present to my 
mind that it is hard to realize I have not 
seen you for so long, or that there are so 

many thousands of miles between us 

I am very happy, and my happiness is not 
a little increased by hearing that all the 
dear ones in the States are well and happy." 

On July 24th, he wrote to one of his sis- 
ters : " As you say, it is not so much what we 
do, that God regards, as with how much 
generosity we do it. And what more can 
any one do than to desire with his whole 
heart that God's holy will may be fully ac- 
complished in him, and to do all he can 
to bring it about. This year, I have felt 
more than ever before, how grateful we 
should be for the many special graces we 

have all received We should be 

continually thanking His Divine Majesty for 
these special tokens of His love; and we may 
be sure that if we are grateful for graces 
already received, He will not fail to grant 
those we need for the future. I think there 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 157 

is nothing sweeter or more soothing to the 
soul than an ardent desire that God's holy 
will may be fully and perfectly accomplished 
in us; so, when we feel such desires in our 
hearts, we should thank God for them, as 
they are the fruit of His bounty towards 
us 

" I am very well and happy now. I shall 
have to remain here (at St. Michael) about 
two weeks more, to attend to our supplies 
for the coming year and to look after what- 
ever goods may be sent us by the steamer; 
then I shall go to Forty Mile, and remain 
there until next summer. I know I shall 
have plenty of work, so the time will not 
hang heavily on my hands. Ever since I 
came to Alaska, I have been wishing that 
the days and the years were twice as long.'' 

By September, Father Judge was once 
more afloat on the great river, as we see from 
the following letter: 

Steamer Alice, 
Yukon River, Alaska, Sept. 2nd, 1895. 

Dear Brother: 

I received the books you so kindly sent 
me, and I am very thankful for them. As 
you see from the heading, I am on the go 
again, and with a good prospect of reach- 
ing Forty Mile this time. I was hoping 



158 An American Missionary 

we would receive a good reinforcement this 
year; but only one Father came, and two 
had to return to the States. So Father 
Superior had no one else he could send to 
the whites, and I had to go. 

We could not well refuse them a priest 
this year; because, now that our Superior 
is Prefect Apostolic, he has charge of the 
whites as well as of the Indians; and be- 
sides, the number of the former is increas- 
ing very fast. I have already given you, in 
my letters of last year, an idea of what my 
life may be; but what it will be in reality, 
I cannot say until next year. No doubt the 
hardest part will be to be alone for ten 
months, with no communication whatever 
with the other Fathers ; but I hope it will be 
'' alone with God.'' 

The letter you wrote May 28th, 1894, came 
to St. Michael, but too late to be sent up the 
river. It was forwarded to Holy Cross dur- 
ing the winter, where I found it when I got 
there about the first of June. So, it was just 
a year old when I received it. . . . 

Pray that God may send laborers into His 
vineyard. Many children are dying without 
baptism because the field is so large and we 
are so few. I am well and happy. Natur- 
ally I would prefer to remain with the In- 
dians; but I know that what is done from 
obedience, is more pleasing to God and more 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 159 

profitable to us than what we do because 
we Hke it; and, although I am in no way 
suitable for the task that has been put upon 
me, I have good reason to hope that He, 
who sends me to this work, will supply what 
is wanting in His poor servant. 

Wishing you a very happy year, I remain, 

Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The year 1896 found the hopeful Mission- 
ary in the new field of labor at Forty Mile 
Post. The following letters give us some 
idea of his life and work : 

Forty Mile, N. W. T., 

Feb. 9th, 1896. 
Dear Brother: 

I hope this will prove a pleasant surprise, 
coming, as it will, at a time when you are 
not looking for letters from these parts. 
About this time every year, some men go 
from here to the States by way of Juneau, 
having six hundred miles to make with 
sleigh and dogs. I do not know what kind 
of weather you are enjoying this evening, 
but I would not be surprised if we were 100 
degrees colder than it is with you. As I 
am writing, it is 64 degrees below zero, and 
last month it was 70 degrees below for ten 



160 An American Missionary 

days on a stretch. You see, however, that 
my ink is not frozen; and, in fact, my log- 
cabin is quite comfortable. We are in the 
midst of winter, but the short dark days are 
passed, and we begin to feel the joy of spring, 
for it does one good to see the sun after it has 
been out of sight for a month, as it happens 
here during the period of shortest days. 
At such times we have scarcely four hours 
of light, but now we have ten hours of day- 
light with six of sunshine. The days 
lengthen very rapidly, and by the end of 
March we shall not need lamps any more. 

I am with the whites this year, for this is 
a mining-camp ; everybody looking for gold, 
some finding it, and some getting nothing, 
a few becoming rich, but the greater number 
only making a living, and all working very, 
very hard. You would be astonished to see 
the amount of hard work that men do here 
in the hope of finding gold. They burn holes 
like wells through the ice and the frozen 
ground, some of them as much as thirty feet 
deep. To sink these holes they have to cut 
large quantities of wood, make a big fire 
every evening, and next morning clean out 
all that is thawed. You can imagine what 
work they have; and yet, very often, after 
sinking these holes, they find nothing. O 
if men would only work for the kingdom of 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 161 

heaven with a little of that wonderful energy, 
how many saints we would have ! 

All my flock are not here at the Post; some 
are scattered on the different creeks within 
a range of a hundred miles; so that I have as 
much travelHng as I had when I was with 
the Indians. I was away, from January 8th 
to February 4th, visiting the miners along 
Forty Mile Creek.* I had some hard work 
and was delayed by the severe cold, but I 
was pleased with the result of my visit. All 
received me well, Protestants as well as 
Catholics, and I often had an opportunity 
of explaining Catholic doctrine to those who 
had never heard a true statement of our 
faith. I expect to be on the road most of 
March and April visiting the other creeks 
where the men are working. 

When at home, and generally even when 
travelling, I am very comfortable. Still, we 
have no Pullman cars, and when the snow 
blows over the trail, it is a little like hard 
work to go with sleigh and dogs. Here at 
Forty Mile, I have two log-cabins under one 
roof, one for our Lord and the other for His 
poor servant. I am all alone, but it is a 
happy solitude, for my room opens into the 
chapel where I keep the Blessed Sacrament, 
and I can enjoy His company as often as I 
wish ; so, though all alone, I am never alone. 

* See map. 



162 An American Missionary 

I made an altar nearly the same as the one 
at the Sacred Heart Mission, and a good lady 
gave me a nice carpet for the sanctuary, 
which makes the chapel look passing well 
for these parts. I am well and happy, as I 
ought to be, seeing how good God has been 
to me calling me to His sweet service. God 
bless you! 

Under the same date, he writes to another: 
" We did not see the sun from the 8th of 
December to the 4th of January; but that 
is on account of the mountains which sur- 
round us on all sides. During those four 
weeks, the sun never rose high enough to 
be seen above the mountains; but already, 
the days are twice as long as they were at 
Christmas. 

''As you know, I am with the whites this 
year, and therefore am enjoying some of the 
comforts of civilization. For, even in this 
last corner of the earth, there are some nice, 
respectable people, and some good Catho- 
lics among them. A great part of the 
miners seem to be men who have been run- 
ning away from civilization as it advanced 
westward in the States, until now they have 
no farther to go, and so have to stop here. 
I am told there is one man, who although 
born in the States, has never seen a railroad, 
because he kept moving ahead of the rail- 
roads until he got here. 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 163 

"I have had the consolation of bringing a 
good many back to their duties; but there 
are many more who call themselves Catho- 
lics, yet practice nothing of what their holy 
faith requires of them ; and a greater number 
who have lost their faith entirely. Pray for 
them that they may not die in so wretched 
a state. One of the last mentioned class 
committed suicide last fall, a few days after 
I had been urging him to come to Mass and 
to make his confession. . . . 

"Some come to Mass every morning, and I 
try to have as many communions as possi- 
ble on the first Friday of each month, that 
the Sacred Heart may have some glory, even 
in this frozen region.'^ 

To his youngest brother he writes : " It is 
life in the Far West, and I think a little dif- 
ferent from the ordinary 'Far West' of the 
novels; although we have Indians, bears, 
wolves, moose, deer, etc., all around us; and, 
as a rule, log-cabins for houses. Some of 
these, however, really deserve the name of 
houses, as they are two or three stories high; 
while even some one-story cabins are as 
comfortable as one could wish, and it is hard 
to realize that one is in a log-cabin, when it 
is papered and furnished with carpets, lace 
curtains, pictures, etc. There are a few of 
that kind, but they are the exception, and are 
found only where there are white ladies, the 



164 An American Missionary 

ordinary miner's cabin being a rather rough 
affair but generally comfortable. 

''I have two cabins, or rather, one with two 
sections, each about fourteen feet square. 
One serves for chapel and the other for 
house. The latter is divided by a partition 
into two rooms, one of which is bedroom, 
kitchen, and dining-room, and the other, sit- 
ting-room and reception-room. I keep the 
Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, which has 
a door opening into my sitting-room; so you 
see how happy I am living under the same 
roof and, I might say, all alone with our 
dear Lord, night and day. 

'' It is close on 60° below zero this evening, 
but I am comfortable. We are having a very 
cold winter but a fine one. I was travelling 
all last month, and several times I had to lie 
over because it was dangerous to be out. I 
remained in one place from the 19th to the 
29th, as the quicksilver remained frozen 
during all that time, which means that it 
was at least 40 "" below; and most of the time 
it was in the neighborhood of 70° below. 

''There are many poor men here who 
have only the clothing they brought from 
the States, and who cannot afford to buy 
more. I gave the coat you sent me to one 
who needed it very much : I never used it in 
winter, as it was too light, and I have a fur 
coat which is much better for the severe 



-:j?.' 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 165 

weather, but it was very useful in the spring 
and fall, and even in summer. I would be 
thankful for another of the same kind; but 
I shall not suffer for want of it." 

Two days later, he writes to one of his 
sisters, a religious, who had had some expe- 
rience in the Rocky Mountain region: — 

Forty Mile, N. W. T. 

Feb. nth, 1896. 
You may have a better idea than the oth- 
ers, what a western mining-camp is like ; but 
I suspect that an Alaskan mining-camp is 
different from what you have seen. There 
are only about one hundred and fifty people 
living here now; but there are about five 
hundred in the neighborhood, who have to 
come here for their provisions. There are 
two trading companies with large stores, a 
hardware store, a barber-shop, and a number 
of saloons. The English Government has a 
post with twenty soldiers or police, customs 
collectors, etc. The officers have their fam- 
ilies with them and are very nice people. 
They all belong to the Church of England, 
but are very kind to me, and have invited 
me to dinner several times. The gentleman 
who keeps the hardware store is a good 
Catholic. He and his wife come to Mass 

every morning Last week, they gave 

me a nice carpet for the sanctuary. . . . 



166 An American Missionary 

On Jan. 8th I started to visit the miners 
living on Forty Mile Creek. I had a sleigh 
and only one dog, for dogs are scarce here 
and sell for fifty to seventy-five dollars 
apiece. The first day, I made twenty-five 
miles and stopped at night with an old man 
who makes a good living by cultivating po- 
tatoes and turnips, which he sells like hot 
cakes to the miners, for vegetables are 
scarce. He is not a Catholic. 

After leaving his place I found a cabin 
about every five miles, and the inmates all 
Catholics; so I stayed one night at each 
house, and said Mass every day. Having 
travelled thus for four or five days, I came 
to a stretch of about forty miles, through- 
out which there were no more inhabited 
cabins ; but there were two vacant ones, with 
stoves in them, used by those who make a 
business of hauling provisions for the min- 
ers. 

About two o'clock on the i6th of January, 
I started in company with one of those team- 
sters to go to the first of the vacant cabins, 
distant only about six or seven miles from 
where we were. I do not know just how 
cold it was; but the quicksilver was frozen, 
so it was at least forty below zero. I had 
never been over that road, but the teamster 
told me to go ahead, as I could go faster 
than he could with his heavy load, and so 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 167 

would get more quickly out of the cold. I 
did so, and all went well for about three 
miles, when I came to a place where the 
water had overflowed the ice. Although 
the surface was frozen, the new ice was not 
strong enough to bear the sleigh; it broke, 
and I had to walk in the water, almost up to 
my knees, for about two hundred yards ; and, 
as I was not prepared to find water, my boots 
were not suitable and my feet got wet. I did 
not know how far I was from the cabin, but 
thought it was not far; so I pushed on, try- 
ing to keep my feet from freezing by walk- 
ing as fast as I could. But the sleigh was 
made much heavier by the ice that formed on 
it and the snow that stuck to it after it had 
passed through the water; so I could not go 
as fast as I ought to have gone, and I 
thought I would never get to the cabin. 
About two hours after I got my feet wet, I 
felt so tired that I was about to stop, wrap 
myself in my blanket, and wait for the team- 
ster who was behind me; for it was so dark 
that I could not see well, and I was afraid 
that I might have passed the cabin without 
knowing it. But, just when I was about to 
stop, my dog took a sudden start; so I 
thought perhaps he saw the cabin ; and, sure 
enough, in a few minutes we came to it. 

It was on a high bank, which I had some 
difficulty to climb. When I got to it, I found 



168 An American Missionary 

a log-cabin with no floor, no window, and no 
hinges to the door; but there was a stove, 
and at once I tried to start a fire, after mak- 
ing some shavings with my knife. The 
wood was so cold I could not succeed with 
matches, and I had to go back to the sleigh 
to get a piece of candle; but my gloves also 
had gotten wet, in coming through the 
water, and when I took them off to make the 
fire, they froze so hard that I could not get 
them on again, and I had to go down and 
get up the bank without using my hands, 
which was not easy, especially the coming 
up. 

I did not forget that it was the thir- 
tieth anniversary of mother's death, and I 
thought that it might be God's will to take 
me on the same day. But, with some diffi- 
culty, I got up again, crawling and using my 
elbows instead of my hands; and, with the 
help of the candle, I soon got a fire started. 
As soon as I started to thaw the ice off my 
boots, I felt a pain shoot through my right 
foot, so I knew that it must be frozen. At 
once I went out and filled a box, that I had 
found in the cabin, with snow, then took off 
my boot and found that all the front part of 
my right foot was frozen as hard as a stone. 
... I could not make a mark in it with my 
thumb nail. So, I had to go away from the 
fire and rub the foot with that awfully cold 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 169 

snow, which is more like ground glass than 
anything else, until I got the blood back to 
the surface, which took at least half an hour. 
After that I held my foot to the red-hot 
stove for about one hour before it was com- 
pletely thawed out. With such treatment, 
no harm follows from the freezing; but if 
you go into a warm room, or put the frozen 
part to the fire before rubbing with snow till 
it becomes red, it will decay at once and you 
cannot save it. It is the first time I have 
been frozen; but I have doctored others, and 
I knew what was necessary, and so, thank 
God, I escaped. 

Three days later I got to the end of my 
journey, about one hundred miles from here. 
I was just in time, for that very evening the 
most severe spell we have had began, and 
for ten days the temperature remained be- 
tween sixty and seventy below zero. I 
stopped with an Irishman and his wife and 
was very comfortable. I said Mass every 
day and had six or seven present each time, 
for there were other Catholics living nearby; 
and six received Holy Communion. 

As soon as the quicksilver thawed, which 
showed that it was less than forty below 
zero, I started to return, stopping to see 
some people that I did not see on my way up. 
It took me seven days to come back : in some 
places it was very hard work as the wind 



170 An American Missionary 

had drifted the snow and covered the trail, 
making it difficult to push the sleigh, and 
even to walk. But I was well pleased with 
my trip; and it is a great consolation to be 
able to do some little for the glory of the 
Sacred Heart, by leading these sheep to 
Him, even though it cost some labor and 
suffering. As long as I can thus do some 
good, and have the Blessed Sacrament, I 
have all I desire. 

So you see I am happy. Pray for me that 
I may always remain faithful to the great 
grace of my vocation. How great is our 
debt of gratitude to Almighty God for His 
goodness in calling us to the religious life. 
The older I get, the better I realize the great- 
ness of this favor, and the obligation we are 
under of doing all we can for the glory of 
our Benefactor. I am very well and feel as 
young as I did when you last saw me; but, 
no doubt, time is doing its work on all of us, 
and so we may hope soon to receive the 
reward of our poor labors. God bless you 
and all your good Sisters in religion! 
Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The incident related in the above letter 
was one of the most trying in Father Judge's 
missionary life. We can imagine what were 
his feelings during those weary hours that 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 171 

passed while he trudged on witli feet be- 
numbed behind the slow-moving sleigh, 
alone, almost in the dark, uncertain of the 
way, and threatened with fatal freezing. No 
doubt his prayers were more than ever 
earnest, and his confidence in God unshaken; 
and yet the accumulated miseries of the situ- 
ation must have been a sore trial for even his 
cheerful, generous spirit. 

Here we see what the missionary spirit 
enables a priest to do for God and the souls 
of men; and we realize also that although 
God is ready to aid His servant, yet He ex- 
pects him to do, on his part, all that he can. 

In the summer of 1896 Father Judge made 
his usual annual visit to Koserefsky and St. 
Michael. From the following letters we 
learn something of the events of that trip 
down the Yukon, and of his work : — 

Holy Cross Mission, Alaska, 

Dear Sister: Sept. 8th, 1896. 

I feel ashamed when you exag- 
gerate so much the little I have to suffer here 
for our dear Lord. I mean the bodily suffer- 
ings ; for I am sure that, if as great, they are 
not greater than those you have passed 
through. 

Of course we have our cross here, the 
same cross that all Religious are apt to have. 



172 An American Missionary 

and that makes the religious life so meri- 
torious; but, as long as I have so many holy 
souls praying for me, I hope to be able to 
bear it. 

I left Forty Mile on the last day of May; I 
have been to the coast attending to the sup- 
plies for the coming year, and I arrived here 
only a few days ago. During all this time, 
although I seldom missed Mass, I have not 
had the Blessed Sacrament; for I was trav- 
elling half the time, and at St. Michael we 
have no chapel. I am now waiting for the 
steamer to take me to Circle City, where I 
am to spend the coming winter. 

Circle City, so named because it is near 
the Arctic Circle, is a large mining-camp, 
about two hundred miles this side of Forty 
Mile. I have to go first to Forty Mile to get 
what things I left there, and bring them to 
my new Mission, and begin again. This 
constant moving from place to place is hard 
to human nature, but it is what a Jesuit has 
to be ready for. I hope to have things in 
better condition this year than last. I have 
received a small church-bell and an organ, 
both of which I felt the want of very much at 
Forty Mile. 

There are several Catholic ladies at Circle 
City, so I may hope for some assistance in 
keeping the church nice. . . . 

It would have made you happy to see me 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 173 

when I opened the boxes you sent; I was 
very happy to see so many things for the 
altar. I had no altar-laces last year, but 
now I am rich. 

The breaking of the ice at Forty Mile, this 
year, was a grand sight. It happened on the 
17th of May, and on the 31st I started to 
come down on a little steamer called the 
Beaver. 

We arrived at Holy Cross Mission on the 
6th of June. As we expected to find at St. 
Michael a new boiler for our steamer, we 
took out the old one; and, with two Brothers 
and some Indians, I started to drift the boat 
down to St. Michael, which is four hundred 
miles from Holy Cross. If we had had good 
weather, it would not have been so very diffi- 
cult a task; but the weather was very stormy 
nearly the whole time, so that we were eigh- 
teen days on the way, instead of being about 
ten, as I had hoped. It was hard work, and 
many times we were in great danger; so 
much so, that I made a vow to say five 
Masses and fast on five Fridays in honor of 
the Sacred Heart, if we got down safely. I 
need hardly tell you that my confidence was 
not in vain; all ended well, and we arrived 
safely at St. Michael on the 4th of July. 

These summer months spent, in great 
part, in going to the coast for supplies, are 
generally troublesome and bring more dis- 



174 An American Missionary 

tractions than all the rest of the year. I 
expect that there will be at least a thousand 
white people at Circle City this winter, and 
I know there will be many Catholics among 
them ; so, I shall very likely have a pleasant 
winter, and with the help of your good pray- 
ers, shall be able to do something for the 
greater glory of God. I am looking every 
day for the steamer that is to take me up. 
It is getting very late in the year, and there 
is some danger of the water being too low 
for the boat to pass some shallow places. If 
I can arrange things as I hope to when I get 
up to Circle City, I shall write to the Sisters 
of Providence to come next spring to open 
a hospital there. They are anxious to come, 
and are only waiting for the word. . . . 

May God bless you and all your good Sis- 
ters in religion for your great goodness to 

™^' Wm. H. Judge, S.J. 

A few days later, in writing to another of 
his sisters, who had celebrated the Silver 
Jubilee of her religious profession, he mani- 
fests his grateful appreciation of the grace 
of a religious vocation. 

Holy Cross Mission, Alaska, 

Dear Sister: Sept. I2th, 1896. 

Among all the blessings that have glad- 
dened my heart and spread sunshine over 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 175 

my life, there is none that I prize more 
highly, or for which I am more grateful to 
God, than the rehgious vocation of my sis- 
ters. And with good reason do I feel thus; 
for I cannot fail to see how many blessings 
your prayers and those of your Communi- 
ties, have brought down upon the family, 
and on myself in particular. Besides, my 
great love for you would not be satisfied to 
see you have any other spouse than the Di- 
vine Lamb Himself. On that account, as 
long as our ^'Httle lamb'' was still exposed 
to the dangers of the world, I never ceased 
to implore for her the health necessary to 
follow what I was convinced was her voca- 
tion; and I cannot tell you the joy that filled 
my heart when, after so long a delay, she too, 
was safe within the cloister. The great 
grace of perseverance with which God, in 
His goodness, has blessed you all, is no less 
a subject of joy and gratitude, than was your 
first call. Therefore, although late, I con- 
gratulate you most heartily on the happy 
event of your Jubilee, and I hope you have 
gained from its celebration new strength to 
push on in the good fight, striving to become 
ever more and more pleasing in the sight of 
your heavenly Spouse, who has chosen you 
out of the world, that He may have your 
heart all to Himself and may adorn it with 
His choicest gifts. 



176 An American Missionary 

Each year when your letters come to glad- 
den my heart and fill it with new courage, I 
realize anew the greatness of the happiness 
I enjoy in having three sisters in rehgion. 
God grant that helped by one another's 
prayers and examples, we may all persevere 
to the end, fulfilling perfectly the holy will 
of God in all things. . . . 

Now you must not think that our life up 
here is so terrible; for, although the winter is 
cold, we are prepared for it, and do not suffer 
much from that source; and, as for provi- 
sions, we are much better off than many 
other Missions. We have our crosses and 
heavy crosses too, but they are such as God 
often sends even in more civilized places. 
Bodily sufferings cannot be compared to 
mental sufferings ; and, as 'A Kempis tells us, 
sometimes God sends us the cross, and some- 
times our neighbor will afflict us, and often 
we are a cross to ourselves. Crosses of this 
kind you no doubt share with us, although it 
is true that small Missions are more exposed 
to them, than more regular communities. I 
do not ask you to pray that we may have no 
crosses, but I do ask you to pray in a special 
manner this year for this poor Mission; for 
very great dangers threaten us, which can be 
prevented only by a special protection of 
Almighty God. 

The trip from Holy Cross to St. Michael, 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 177 

on our own boat, was very hard and dan- 
gerous this year, and I felt ten years older 
when I got back a week ago ; but now, after 
a week of quiet and rest, communing with 
loved ones by letter, reading, and writing, I 
begin to feel young again. Age begins to 
show its effects at times, especially in my 
back, but only at times, and not sufficiently 
to prevent me from performing all my duties. 
Generally I am as active and lively as ever. 

I am sorry that Father Barnum told you 
I was so thin; for it caused Sister M. to make 
two beautiful surplices, that she had made 
for me, so small that I cannot wear them. 
When I read your letter I had to look in the 
glass to see if I were really so thin, for I was 

not aware of it so you see there is a 

mistake somewhere 

I sometimes feel that I would like to have 
some time to prepare myself for death ; but, 
when I remember that our Lord died on the 
cross, I see it is better to stand in the fight to 
the end, trusting to Him to supply for all 
defects. 

Good by! May God bless you and your 
good Sisters. Your loving Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The next letter gives the first news of an 
event, which was to prove of supreme impor- 
tance to him — the discovery of the Klon- 



178 An American Missionary 

dike gold-fields. This letter announced the 
fact of the discovery some months before it 
was generally known. 

Forty Mile N. W. T. 
Dear Brother: ^ec. 27th, 1896. 

I am sorry that I left you without a letter 
the past summer. I was hoping to get yours 
before it would be too late, but it did not 
reach me until Oct. 9th, because it was put 
into the mail-bag for Forty Mile, and I was 
down the river all the summer, returning 
here Oct. 6th. But I assure you it was no 
less welcome for being late. It came like a 
ray of Easter sunshine, just when old Winter 
was spreading his mantle over us for another 
eight months. I thank you very much for 
all the family news, the good wishes, prayers 
and kind thoughts, which it brought me; 
all which I shall do my best to repay through 
the Sacred Heart. 

I have not seen Father Barnum since his 
return, although he staid in my cabin here 
two weeks, while I was away; but we passed 
on the lower river without seeing each other. 

You may be surprised to see this dated 
from Forty Mile, after my telHng you and all 
the others that I would be in Circle City this 
winter. The proverb, " Man proposes, but 
God disposes," is often verified here. In 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 179 

fact, I was sent to Circle City, and I actually 
shipped to that place all my supplies for the 
year, together with all the presents I had 
received, and an organ and a church-bell; 
and I came here only to get my church- 
goods, etc., when by an unusually early clos- 
ing of the river, I was forced to remain for 
the winter. 

It was very providential; for, after I left 
here in the summer, gold was found on a 
creek fifty miles up the river, and later dis- 
coveries show the region to be one of the 
richest and most extensive gold-fields ever 
known. All that they have had here so far 
is nothing compared to it. Each man is 
allowed five hundred feet, and some of the 
claims are so rich that the owner of one may 
take five or six millions out of that little piece 
of ground, some already having had as high 
as a hundred dollars in a shovelful of dirt. 

The excitement is very high here now; and 
when the news gets outside, no doubt there 
will be a great rush for these parts. 

They have started on the Yukon, at the 
mouth of the principal creek, a town to be 
called Dawson City, and lots there 50x100 
feet are selling as high as a thousand dollars 
already. 

I have secured three acres as a site for a 
church and a hospital, and I expect Sisters to 
come up next spring to take charge of the 



180 An American Missionary 

latter. The new settlement will be by far 
the largest place on the Yukon, and I believe 
it will be a place of consequence for a good 
many years, as the district where the gold is 
being found is very large. Men are coming 
from Circle City every day, and it is likely 
there will be a general stampede from that 
place in the spring. 

I was away for a month before Christmas, 
visiting the miners on two of the old creeks. 
I have not been to the new diggings yet, but 
I expect to go there in a month or so when 
the days get longer. We are having a mild 
winter this year, at least so far, the coldest 
having been forty-two below zero, against 
sixty or seventy last year. 

We had one death a few weeks ago, that of 
a Canadian, who came last spring looking 
for gold. Happily I was here to give him the 
sacraments and say Mass for his soul. God 
grant that he may have found the one thing 
necessary, which is above all the gold and 
treasures of this world. 

I am enjoying my two cabins again this 
year. My little chapel is very devotional in 
its Christmas garb. On Christmas day I 
began my Masses at 7 o'clock, when I said 
two, and the third I said at 10.30, which was 
followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sac- 
rament. I thought of you all on that day, 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 181 

and more than once imagined what you were 
doing, making allowance for the difference 
of time. 

The Epiphany, Jan. 6th. 

Before I forget it, I mtist wish you a happy 
New Year! How fast the years are sHpping 
by! I can remember the change from '56 to 
'57, and now we come to '97. You say you 
are afraid the young folks will begin to class 
you among the old people: you need not be 
surprised if they do, for here they call me 
'' the old man.'' 

To-day we saw the sun for the first time 
since the 8th of December. It goes on a pic- 
nic every winter about that time, and does 
not show its face for some thirty days. I 
assure you it is a real pleasure to see it peep 
over the mountains when it returns .... 

I am as well and happy as ever, although 
at times I begin to find that old bones will 
not stand as much as young ones. In the 
union of the Sacred Heart, I am as ever. 
Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

About a month later, Feb. ist, he wrote: 
''In this little world of ours — for we are as 
much alone as if we were on a globe of our 
own — there is very little news to speak or 
write about. The only thing spoken of here 



182 An American Missionary 

is the ^ prospects ^ from the different creeks 
in the new gold district, which promises to 
surpass anything ever known before. One 
would think that gold is the one thing neces- 
sary for happiness in time and eternity, to 
see the way in which men seek it even in 
these frozen regions, and how they are 
ready to sacrifice soul and body to get it. 
O, how terrible will be their disappointment 
at the hour of death, when they will realize 
the vanity of all they have loved so much. 
Experience shows that most of those who 
make money in mining, lose it as fast as they 
make it. However, I am glad to be able to 
say that there are here a good number of 
sober, industrious Catholics, who, I hope, 
will make a good use of all they get. I am 
preparing to build a church, a house, and a 
hospital at Dawson City, which will be the 
town of the new mining region.'' 

So, during the winter of '96-'97, the pastor 
of Forty Mile Post while attending to his 
people at home or travelling along the neigh- 
boring creeks, listened to the stories of the 
wonderful discovery of gold in the Klondike 
region. He foresaw the stampede that would 
take place from the older mining centres, and 
the influx from the States, when the news 
would have found its way to the outer world. 
He did not covet the precious metal for 
which, as he said, some men were willing to 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 183 

risk soul and body; but he knew that the 
men around him, and many more would go 
to the new fields, and if so, he should go with 
them: where the flock is, there should the 
shepherd be. 

Most of his people, no doubt, left Forty 
Mile before he did; but he must have early 
set himself to study out the problems of the 
new situation, while waiting for the days to 
get longer. 

Meanwhile, what was going on up on the 
Klondike creek? The question is best an- 
swered by the following quotations from 
the special sixteen page Klondike number 
of the New York World of August 22nd, 
1897:—'' On Sept 6th (1896) Surveyor Ogil- 
vie wrote: ' It is only two weeks since it (the 
Klondike discovery) was known, and already 
about two hundred claims have been staked 
on it. The Klondike and its branches are 
good for from three to four hundred 
claims.' " 

" On November 6th, Mr. Ogilvie wrote : 
' One man showed me $22.75 that he took out 
in a few hours on Hunker Creek ' . . . .On 
this date Mr. Ogilvie thought he saw 1000 
claims in sight, which would require 3,000 
men to work them, and that would bring a 
population of 10,000 souls in ' a year or two.' 
He had to better this estimate later on." 

" Naturally the new region, draining four 



184 An American Missionary 

or five old ones of their inhabitants, required 
a town, and one was built almost like magic. 
Joseph Ladue says : ' Dawson City is now the 
most important point in the new mining re- 
gion. Its population in June 1897 exceeded 
4,000 .... I commenced erecting the first 
house in that region on September ist, 1896. 
Within six months from that date there were 
over five hundred houses erected, which in- 
clude stores, supply-stations, hotels, restau- 
rants, saloons, and residences.' '^ 

At length, about the middle of March, 
1897, Father Judge packed his sled and with 
the aid of only one dog, started for the Klon- 
dike. There were fifty miles to make, most 
likely upon the still frozen Yukon, and the 
trip must have taken two days. This first 
visit of the Missionary to the scene of his fu- 
ture labors, was thus touchingly depicted in 
the '' Klondike Nugget," two days after his 
death: "The stampeders from Forty Mile 
to the Klondike in the winter of '96-'97 re- 
member overtaking a solitary and feeble old 
man with a single sled-rope over his shoul- 
ders, and a single dog helping the load along. 
This was the Father hastening to a field 
where he was conscious his ministering serv- 
ices were most required. Arrived in Dawson 
he lost no time in securing the ground on 
which St. Mary's hospital now stands. 
Spreading his tents, he found that his serv- 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 185 

ices, as one experienced in Arctic maladies 
and frostbites, were instantly in demand. 
He grasped the situation at once, saw that 
a hugh task was laid out for him here, and 
hastened back to Forty Mile for more med- 
icine, more supplies, and the necessary equip- 
ment for the care of the sick.'' 

Father Judge spent about one month at 
Dawson, started men to work getting logs 
from the upper river, and cleared the ground 
for St. Mary's Hospital, before returning for 
supplies to Forty Mile. From the latter 
place he wrote : — 

Forty Mile, N. W. T. 
Dear Brother: ^^y ^^^^ ^^97- 

On Palm Sunday I received your Christ- 
mas Card, and yesterday the letter that you 
began January loth. . . . You see I re- 
ceived it on our reunion day, which made it 
all the more enjoyable; and on the first day 
of our Blessed Mother's month. . . . May 
God continue to bless you all, as I am sure 
He will, if you remain faithful to Him. O, 
how foolish are all those who neglect their 
religious duties, which alone can bring them 
that peace and happiness for which the 
heart of man is ever yearning ! If they would 
only listen to the voice of reason, they would 
soon perceive that there is nothing in this 



186 An American Missionary 

world capable of satisfying the craving of 
their hearts for knowledge and happiness; 
and so they would be led to seek them above, 
knowing that that craving was not given 
never to be satisfied. 

From the middle of March to Easter 
(April i8th) I was up at the new gold-dig- 
gings. There are two creeks very rich-. 
Some have sold their claims as high as fifty 
thousand dollars apiece, that is five hundred 
feet on the creek, which is what each man 
is allowed to take. I myself saw one hundred 
and twenty-three dollars' worth of gold in 
one shovelful of dirt. Some expect to take 
out milHons, if it holds out as it promises. 
But there are far more men here than there 
are good claims for. Those who are working 
for wages have been making fifteen dollars 
a day all the winter, which is not bad for hard 
times; but if, as we suppose, a great many 
men come in when the river opens, wages 
will very likely fall to ten dollars and may- 
be to six, as they were before the deposits on 
these creeks were found. 

I shall not try to settle for you the geo- 
graphical position of Circle City, as there is 
not much left of it since the news of the 
Klondike diggings reached there. Dawson 
City is the centre of attraction now, and 
probably will be for some years. . . . 

I have secured some ground there, and I 



Forty Mile Post and Circle City 187 

am preparing to build a church and a hospi- 
tal, having sent for the Sisters to manage the 
latter. I shall go there to see to the building 
as soon as the river opens, which will be in 
two or three weeks. I do not expect to go 
down to the coast this summer, so your 
spring letters will not reach me as soon as 
usual, and they may not be answered so soon. 

Although I am constantly going farther 
away from you, that is if we count from the 
sea; in reality I am coming nearer and 
nearer, not only in point of miles, but espe- 
cially as regards communication. Hereafter, 
direct all your letters to Dawson City, N. 
W.T. 

When you speak of the happiness you ex- 
perience in being able to attend services at 
St. Ignatius', I envy you a little; for, I assure 
you, there are no days in my life that I can 
look back upon with more real pleasure, than 
I do upon those which I spent around that 
dear spot. It is a great sacrifice for me to 
be deprived of all the surroundings that lend 
solemnity to the Divine Service in civiliza- 
tion; but, it is a great consolation to have our 
dear Lord Himself so near to me at all times ; 
and it gives me pleasure to honor Him here, 
where there are so few who know Him, or 
care for Him in the sweet Sacrament of His 
love. 

Give my kindest regards to all the family 



188 An American Missionary 

and tell them that even if I do not write to 
them or mention them in my letters, at least 
they all find a place in my heart, and are 
never forgotten in my Holy Sacrifices and 
prayers. 

In the union of the Sacred Heart, 

Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 



CHAPTER VIL 

THE RUSH TO THE KLONDIKE. 

"Gold, gold, gold, gold! 
Bright and yellow and hard and cold. 
Molten, graven, hammered and rolled; 
Heavy to get and light to hold; 
Hoarded, bartered, bought and sold; 
Spurned by the young, but hugged by the old 
To the very verge of the churchyard mold; 
Price of many a crime untold; 
Gold, gold, gold, gold! 
Good or bad a thousandfold!" — Hood. 

IT would be beyond the scope of this work 
to give a full account of the Klondike 
gold-fields, and of the rush that followed 
the unearthing of their rich deposits. How- 
ever, for the sake of those who may be igno- 
rant of the facts and to throw light on the 
work of the Missionary in Dawson, we must 
say something of the general excitement oc- 
casioned by the announcement of the dis- 
covery. 

Although the new gold-fields were discov- 
ered in August, 1896, such were the difficul- 
ties of communication between that icy re- 
gion and the outer world, that it was not 
until the early summer of 1897, that the 

189 



190 An American Missionary 

newspapers startled the United States by the 
story of the fabulous richness of the Klon- 
dike. By the end of July, however, the whole 
country was in a ferment of excitement. 
From New York to San Francisco, the Klon- 
dike and how to get there, was all that men 
talked of. The papers teemed with facts, and 
figures, and illustrations, that stimulated the 
ardor of all who had the courage and the 
strength to make the venture. We give some 
specimens of these announcements: — 

" Seattle, Wash. July 19th. The amount 
of treasure brought down from the famed 
Klondike by the steamer Portland, is now 
placed at $1,500,000, and there is good reason 
to believe that the sum was nearer $2,000,- 



000." 



'' Helena, Montana, July 19th. Over 
$200,000 in gold from the Alaska diggings 
was received at the United States Assay 
Office to-day." From the New York World : 
" The U. S. Mint authorities estimate the 
amount of gold that has so far reached this 
country from the Klondike, at about four 
tons, worth something over $2,000,000.'' 
The Alaska Mining Record of Juneau, 
quoted by the World, said: ''The excite- 
ment is spreading, and by the time this is be- 
fore our readers, the great army of gold-seek- 
ers will have fairly started northward 

There remains scarcely a man in Juneau or 



The Rush to the Klondike 191 

its neighboring towns or mining-camps, not 
tied down by circumstances, but will start 
within the next month, or in the early spring. 
Not only has the fever reached the ambitious 
young men, but the sturdy old-timer, who 
packed his blankets to the Frazer and the 
Cassair country .... is himself as eager 
for the hardships and wealth of the Yukon.'' 

" New York, July 19th. New York has 
been touched by the Alaskan gold fever. 
The past twenty-four hours have seen come 
to the front 2,000 Argonauts, who will be on 
the way to the Klondike region as soon as 
arrangements can be made for transporta- 
tion. Some notion of how the craze is 
spreading may be had from the fact that 
within forty-eight hours, an advertisement 
calling for those who desired to join an expe- 
dition to Alaska and who had from $500 to 
$2,000 to invest, was answered by more than 
twelve hundred applicants." 

" San Diego, California, July 19th. An in- 
teresting letter, telling of the recent trip of 
the steamer Excelsior, to Alaska, has been 
written by Captain J. F. Higgins, of the 
steamer, to a friend in this city. He says: 
' As each claim is five hundred feet along the 
creek-bed, there is half a million to the claim. 
. . . . One of our passengers, who is taking 
$1,000 with him, has worked 100 feet of his 
ground, and he refused $200,000 for the re- 



192 An American Missionary 

mainder. He confidently expects to clean up 
$400,000 and more. He has in a bottle $212 
taken from one pan of dirt. His pay-dirt, 
while being washed, averaged $250 an hour 
to each man shoveling in. Two others of 
our miners who worked their own claims, 
cleaned up $6,000 from the day's washings." 

Such statements caused an excitement 
akin to that which reigned at the time of the 
discovery of the California gold-fields, in 
the summer of 1848. Of that event an his- 
torian says: ''An excitement which tran- 
scends description seized on the inhabitants; 
forsaking their farms and shutting up their 
houses, they flock to the fortunate spot. The 
news soon reached the Atlantic States. Hun- 
dreds at once set out for the land of gold; 
and not from the United States only, but 
from all parts of Europe, and even from far 
distant China, did the tide of immigration 
flow, men of every grade in society giving 
themselves up to its current."* 

This state of the pubHc mind in 1848 
would likely have had its parallel in 1898, 
had not a counter-irritant been applied in 
the shape of the war with Spain. That ab- 
sorbing topic called off, to a great extent, 
the attention of the people of the United 
States from the glittering prospects held out 
by the Klondike placers. Had it not been for 

*Hist. of U. S., Quackenbos, p. 443. 



The Rush to the Klondike 193 

this check, there would doubtless have been 
a tremendous and disastrous rush to the Yu- 
kon. 

As it was, the more ardent and venture- 
some of the gold-seekers determined to 
start without delay, and a vanguard of one 
hundred men left Seattle on July 19th, 1897. 
But prudence is the better part of valor; and 
mindful of this principle, the majority waited 
for the spring of 1898; for winter travel over 
the ice-clad mountains and snow-covered 
trail between Dyea and Dawson was, at that 
time, well-nigh impossible. 

When spring came, there poured into 
Juneau, Skagway, and Dyea, a constant 
stream of adventurers, determined to reach 
the wished-for goal by way of the Chilkoot 
Pass and the rivers and lakes that lead to the 
Yukon, a laborious journey of over five hun- 
dred miles. Even at that season, the aspect 
of the country was still that of mid-winter 
in the latitude of Philadelphia or Baltimore. 
The whole surface of the region was still a 
magnificent expanse of white, except where 
the rocky hills peered through the snowy 
covering. The dark forms of the would-be 
miners with their luggage stood out in sharp 
contrast to the spotless background; so that 
the long line of men, as they trudged in sin- 
gle file along the trail or through the passes, 



194 An American Missionary 

looked at a distance like a train of creeping 
blackness upon a white surface. 

With heroic courage the eager army of 
fortune-hunters pushed on, resolved to sur- 
mount every obstacle that lay in their path. 
On April 3rd about seventy persons per- 
ished in a snow-slide. Nevertheless, every 
day for three months, an unbroken line of 
pack-laden men pursued the rugged trail. 
Treading in one another^s footsteps the 
hopeful gold-seekers pressed on; but when a 
resting-place was reached, as at the summit 
of the Chilkoot Pass, men and dogs, sleds 
and packs, bags and bundles, were scattered 
about in the snow and a scene of wintry con- 
fusion resulted, that might remind one of 
the flight of Napoleon's army from Mos- 
cow. Many perished in the effort, but in 
this and the following year, a sufficient num- 
ber succeeded in reaching the site of Dawson 
City, to make it ^' the greatest mining-camp 
the world has even seen,'' and later, a city of 
15,000 inhabitants. 

The reader will be pleased to hear the 
story of one of those pioneers, a friend of 
Fr. Judge. " The party with whom I trav- 
elled," writes C. H. Higgins, " left Buffalo, 
N. Y., on February 8th, 1898, and arrived at 
Tacoma, Washington, February 13th We 
bought our outfits, and while thus engaged 
we were startled by news of the blowing 



The Rush to the Klondike 195 

up of the U. S. steamer, Maine. This caused 
great excitement, and many returned to go 
to the war. We sailed from Tacoma on Feb- 
ruary 23rd, arriving at Dyea, February 28th. 
We were advised by many not to go on, but, 
having bought outfits at considerable ex- 
pense, about half the party took courage to 
defy Chilkoot's heights and see the gold- 
fields over which the entire world was 
aroused. We stayed at Sheep Camp the 
night of March 3rd, 1898, and on arriving at 
the top of Chilkoot Pass we found a fierce 
snowstorm in progress. The storm contin- 
ued for two days. We slept in a tent on the 
summit of the Pass during the nights of the 
4th and 5th of March, started for Lake Lin- 
deman on the morning of the 6th, and pulled 
our goods on sleighs to a point about twenty- 
five miles farther north, where we camped. 
We cut down trees from which we whip- 
sawed boards and made our boats, to be 
ready to sail for Dawson when the ice of 
lakes and rivers thawed. This opening of 
navigation occurred on May 24th, 1898. We 
had many exciting experiences on account 
of sand-bars, and particularly at White 
Horse Rapids. Several, whose boats struck 
the rocks, were drowned. Many trying cir- 
cumstances were met with : but we were tak- 
ing these chances in order to obtain gold; 
besides, we had the trials of others always 



196 An American Missionary 

present to encourage us in bearing our own. 
How different was the case of our dear 
Father Judge, who was nearly always alone ! 

" Let us hurry on to Dawson in order that 
we may see the real hero of the Klondike. 
We arrived in Dawson on June 13th, at 4 
P. M., that is about 8 P. M. eastern time. 
It was somewhat difficult to land, owing to 
the swift current of the Yukon, supple- 
mented here by the Klondike River. We 
found along the river front a lot of houses 
and cabins used as saloons, theatres, dance- 
halls, restaurants, etc., and the river bank 
was strewn with blankets and robes used as 
bedding. Many slept on the bank of the 
river until they could arrange to locate on 
the hills back of Dawson, or on the creeks. 

"About 9.30 P. M., having cleaned up 
as well as possible, I set out for St. Mary's 
Hospital, which I had no difficulty in finding. 
Approaching from the rear, I saw seated 
on a bed in the hallway, and saying his 
rosary, a man whose hair was thin and grey, 
and whose face was lined with care, but out 
of whose eyes there seemed to issue a won- 
derful light. He was in deep meditation, 
and I had time to observe his clothes and 
even his boots. The former were dark and 
seedy, but clean, the latter were, to my sur- 
prise, heavy boots with good sized nails, to 
prevent them from wearing out quickly. 



The Rush to the Klondike 197 

After a few minutes he noticed me standing 
outside, and cheerfully asked me in. He in- 
quired my business, and informed me that 
he would say Mass in a cabin at 6 A. M. 
This was nine days after his church was 
burned down. 

'' Not having heard Mass for four months 
I was hungry for it. Though our trials and 
dangers caused us to lead good lives on the 
trail, we needed something more, we needed 
the ambassador of Christ, who had power to 
say to us, ' Go in peace thy sins are forgiven 
thee.' I was reminded of what the Follow- 
ing of Christ says in regard to the Mass, that 
if it were celebrated but at one place on 
earth how anxious we would all be to be 
present at it. 

''Next morning, wanting to be in good 
time for confession before Mass, I left the 
boat at 5 A. M., — not having slept any, as 
the sun merely hid behind the mountains 
for a couple of hours — and reached the tem- 
porary chapel ten minutes later. I waited 
for two hours, and still no priest! I won- 
dered, but my surprise was explained when 
I asked a man what time it was and he an- 
swered: 'Five fifteen.' Then the difference 
of time between San Francisco and Dawson, 
about two hours, occurred to me. I had 
started three hours too early. It gave me 
time for reflection. By this time many were 



198 An American Missionary 

about, mostly Protestants, and a priest, 
whom I afterwards found to be Father Le- 
febvre, had come out of the hospital, and 
was reading his office, standing on a boulder. 
This Father Lefebvre had come to Dawson 
as if by a miracle a week after Father Judge's 
church was burned, thus enabling him to 
have Mass. All the vestments and sacred 
vessels had been burned with the church. 
After a short time the bell, saved from the 
fire and fastened on a pole, rang out the An- 
gelus. The good Father said it, and at ' The 
Word was made flesh ' he reverently genu- 
flected with hat in hand and head bowed. 
The impression on the non-Catholic was 
great, but to the Catholic, the Angelus bell 
so far from civilization, and the confession 
of faith by the priest were sublime. Many 
shed tears of joy, because though far from 
home and friends they were closer to God's 
home, and though trials had been constant 
in their journey, they had arrived in the har- 
bor of the soul's peace. 

'' In a moment appeared Father Judge 
with cassock, but no biretta, it too having 
been burned. He did not look like the man 
I had met the night before; there was some 
great difference. That difference was caused 
by his cassock. His whole appearance 
changed as soon as it was put on. That 
morning he came stepping from stone to 



The Rush to the Klondike 199 

stone, his face illumined, and his movements 
eager, as though some most pleasant event 
were to come. And surely it was so — he was 
about to offer up the Holy Sacrifice. Father 
Judge heard our confessions and his instruc- 
tions were very consoling to the penitents. 
He vested for Mass and soon began it. 
Every action was intensely devotional, 
every syllable plainly spoken. His fervor 
was that of a young priest saying his first 
Mass, and it was always so, even to the end 
of his life. You can well imagine it was an 
impressive Mass, and a sincere Communion. 
I do not think the sublime character of the 
Mass was ever better impressed upon any 
of us in the grand cathedrals of the States. 
I attended Mass daily, and on Sunday, June 
19th, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, our good 
Father preached at High Mass on Jesus' 
love. He always said he was no preacher, 
and he could bear no mention of his good 
sermons, but it is true that while he always 
stood erect with hands folded, and made no 
gestures, every word that fell from his lips 
sank into his hearers' hearts.'' 



CHAPTER VIIL 
DAWSON CITY. 

" In this we have known the charity of God, because He 
hath laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down 
our lives for the brethren." — / John, Hi, 16. 

ABOUT the end of May, 1897, Father 
Judge went to take up his residence per- 
manently at Dawson, the growing center of 
the Klondike region. Most likely he took 
the first steamer that ascended the river 
from Forty Mile after the breaking: up of the 
ice. Thus he was able to transport most con- 
veniently his little stock of furniture and 
church goods, as well as any furnishings for 
the projected hospital, that he might have 
gathered together. On his arrival he found 
an improvised town of some five hundred 
houses or tents, with a population of about 
four thousand. 

This most northern of American cities lies 
along the right bank of the Yukon, north of 
the point where the Klondike creek empties 
into the great river. The position seems well 
chosen; for on the east and northeast the 
town is sheltered by a noble mountain, be- 

200 



00 
00 




Dawson City 201 

tween which and the river there is room for 
a goodly city. 

At the foot of this mountain, and not far 
from the river, the Missionary located his 
hospital and church. 

During June, July, and August the pastor 
occupied a large tent, in which he had four 
berths ; so that he could lodge two workmen, 
and, if need be, a guest. He arranged mat- 
ters so as to be able to say Mass in the tent 
before preparing breakfast for his men or 
his guests : for, it seems that the spirit of the 
Father Minister of former years still urged 
him to cook for others, as he did at the little 
picnics in the woods of Maryland. 

We can hardly realize the magnitude of 
the task of building a hospital, a church, and 
residences, under the difficulties that beset 
the builder on the banks of the Yukon in 
1897. Logs had to be procured and rafted 
down the river or drawn by dog-teams 
to the site of the rising structures. Then 
the thousand and one things needed in such 
buildings had to be obtained or substitutes 
invented. If hair and cotton could not be 
had to fill the mattresses, dried grass or 
herbs from the mountain-side or the river's 
bank must take their place. If paper and 
paint were not available, muslin and sizing 
would, perhaps, do as well. 

The claims of the sick were so urgent that 



202 An American Missionary 

the Missionary's first care was to complete 
the hospital; and, despite many difficulties, 
he was able to open it for the reception of 
patients on August 20th. 

This first building was of logs, the seams 
being filled with earth and moss. It was fifty 
feet by twenty, and two stories high with 
slightly sloping roof. Windows four feet by 
three, with rustic frames, admitted the light 
into rooms nine feet high, the floors and 
ceilings of which were finished alike in wood, 
while the walls were lined with muslin sized 
and coated with white lead. The furniture 
consisted (later, at least,) of very simple lit- 
tle bedsteads with mattresses stuffed with 
dry herbage, plain wooden chairs, empty 
boxes for washstands, some tables, a few 
wardrobes, and many stoves. 

Our imagination may fill up the details 
of the priest's busy life during those summer 
months. With some hundreds of souls to 
care for, sick men to tend, workmen to di- 
rect, and material to procure, he must have 
felt that his desire to '' do some little for the 
glory of the Sacred Heart " was being satis- 
fied to the full. 

As the work went on, he was cheered by 
the thought that the Sisters of St. Ann would 
come to take charge of the hospital; but he 
was to have the merit of suffering a tempo- 
rary disappointment in that regard. He tells 



->^-«<fflil)i|ii 




Dawson City 203 

of this trial in a letter to his Superior. " It 
was/' he says, ^^ a great disappointment for 
all here, miners and prospectors of all de- 
nominations and nationalities, not to see the 
Sisters of St. Ann on board the 'Alice,' as 
they expected them for the opening of St. 
Mary's Hospital, I need hardly say that my 
disappointment was still greater than theirs; 
but God knows what is best for us. The hos- 
pital is finished, and the Sisters' house and 
the church are going up rapidly. I still hope 
that the Sisters will come up this fall. Every- 
thing else is going on well, and I look for a 
prosperous year. There are many Catholics 
pouring in, so I shall have plenty to do." 

The church was rising on the left of the 
hospital. It was similar in construction to 
the latter, fifty feet by twenty-four, and it 
could seat a congregation of about two hun- 
dred. The front was made as ornamental 
as the circumstances would permit. A flight 
of eight steps, the whole width of the build- 
ing, led to the entrance, which was furnished 
with a double door and finished with a trian- 
gular cornice. Over the entrance was a cir- 
cular window, and above the gable rose a 
modest hexagonal belfry tipped with a sim- 
ple cross, and containing a small church-bell. 
It is thus described by a correspondent of 
the New York Evening Post: ''The first 
Roman Catholic church of Dawson City was 



204 An American Missionary 

a large structure built of logs, at the north 
extremity of the town. The seats were 
merely rough boards placed on stumps. The 
pastor made the altar himself, doing most of 
the work with an ordinary penknife.* At 
first there was no glass for the windows, but 
heavy white muslin was tacked to the 
frames, and though the thermometer was 
often 60 degrees below zero, two large 
stoves kept the church comfortable. Like 
all other CathoHc churches, it was always 
open. 

" At Easter, window glass was put in, and 
an organ-loft, with a simple railing around it, 
built in the rear. The organ was a small one, 
sent up from one of the missions down the 
river; but owing to the many good voices in 
the choir, the Masses were rendered finely, 
especially those at Christmas and Easter, 
when a violinist volunteered his services." 

Thus the summer and autumn were passed 
in building up the material and the spiritual 
house of God, as well as an asylum for the 
Lord's suffering members. 

Some letters that Father Judge found time 
to write in the winter of '97 and '98 throw 
light on the varied occupations of his life 
during that time. To his immediate Supe- 
rior at Juneau he wrote as follows : — 

*We must suppose that the correspondent meant the 
ornamental work. 



Dawson City 205 

St. Mary's Hospital, 
Dawson City, Nov. 15th, '97. 
Rev. and dear Father Superior: 

Pax Christi! 

I have so much to tell your Reverence that 
I fear I shall forget at least half of it; but 
I shall have many opportunities for sending 
letters to Juneau as soon as the river closes, 
and so I hope that, little by little, you will get 
all the particulars you desire. 

Although the ice began to form in the lat- 
ter part of September, which was earlier than 
usual, the river is not closed yet, and this is 
something never known before. Since I have 
been in the country, we have always been 
able to travel on the river by this time of 
the year, but now there is open water. 

This morning was the coldest we have had, 
viz., 20 degrees below zero; but it moderated 
during the day. 

The first and most important news is that 
the Sisters of St. Ann did not get here. They 
came, it appears, on the " AHce " as far as 
Fort Yukon, but the water was too low for 
the boat to pass, and they together with 
Brother C, returned to Nulato; and perhaps, 
as I heard, to Holy Cross. In fact, I received 
nothing from below, not even Mass wine; 
but, thank God, I have enough of that. . . . 

I was obliged to open the hospital towards 



206 An American Missionary 

the end of August, and I have had ever 
since an average of twenty sick persons. At 
first, I took only temporary help; but, when 
I found that the Sisters were not coming, 
I made arrangements for a permanent staff 
of nurses, cooks, etc., and everything is 
working as well as could be expected under 
the circumstances. All the sick are most 
agreeably surprised to find so much comfort, 
and all are loud in their praise of the good 
work we are doing, and the great blessing the 
hospital is proving to the camp. 

The fact that the steamers were not able 
to come up on the last trip has left provisions 
very short here. Many have gone down the 
river, not having food enough for the whole 
winter, and many are paying as much as a 
hundred dollars a sack for flour, and it is hard 
to get it even at that exhorbitant price. 
Many also intend to go away on the ice, but 
I fear some of them will perish. I need not 
tell your Reverence how people have been 
pouring in all the summer and fall, as you can 
see them passing through Juneau, and they 
are still coming every day. We see by papers 
and letters, that the whole world is excited 
over the place, and that tens of thousands 
intend to come here next spring. There is 
only one thing spoken of here, and that is 
'' grub.'' For the last two months everyone 
has been busy trying to secure enough to eat 



Dawson City 207 

for the winter. The Alaska Commercial 
Company filled all the orders they promised, 
and luckily I had placed mine in time. . . . 
I think I shall have enough of the essentials 
for the year, but many luxuries, in the rela- 
tive sense of the word, which I expected in 
case the boats came, will be wanting. 

The hospital building is finished, except 
the doors for the rooms. We had no lumber 
to make these, but we have curtains, which 
will do equally well if not better. The Sis- 
ters' house adjoining the hospital is also 
finished and in use. The church is nearly 
completed, though the windows are not yet 
made, nor is it lined. We are using it how- 
ever, such as it is, having covered the win- 
dows with white muslin. . . . My own house 
adjoining the church is also closed in and is 
used for a carpenter-shop, laundry, and quar- 
ters for all those employed around the hos- 
pital. After Christmas I shall send you a 
list of what we need for next summer. 

Of late my own health has not been as 
good, at times, as it might be, but I cannot 
complain. I had a slight attack of chills a 
few weeks ago, but I was not laid up at all. 
I have not missed Mass a single day, nor 
have I been prevented from attending to my 
duties. However, the work here is too much 
for one priest. I know your Reverence real- 
izes the fact, and that you would leave noth- 



208 An American Missionary 

ing undone to send assistance. There are a 
great many Catholics here; we have about 
one hundred at Mass every Sunday. We 
have High Mass, sermon, and Benediction 
of the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday, and 
a fair number of confessions and commun- 
ions during the w^eek. 

Of course, besides my spiritual ministra- 
tions to the souls of my increasing congre- 
gation, chiefly composed of Canadians and 
Americans of Irish descent, I have many 
other duties to discharge. For instance, I 
have to superintend everything about the 
hospital myself, seeing that the doctor's pre- 
scriptions are carried out in regard to medi- 
cine, food, etc. Again, the keeping of ac- 
counts is added to my other occupations in 
the temporal order. All these things com- 
bined leave me but little spare time. Still, I 
am happy for all that; and, if God spares me, 
I hope to keep everything in good order until 
you come in the spring, when no doubt the 
Sisters of St. Ann will be up, and some 
Fathers will come to help me, or even replace 
me, as you may think best. Recommend- 
ing myself and my work to your holy sacri- 
fices, I remain ever, 

Your humble servant in Christ, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J- 



Dawson City 209 

The next day he wrote to one of his broth- 
ers: 

St. Mary's Hospital, 

Dawson, N. W. T., Nov. i6th, 1897. 

Dear Brother: 

This is the first opportunity I have had of 
sending out letters since I received yours, 
as it came too late for the summer mail per 
steamers. . . . 

I undertook last summer to build a hos- 
pital here for the Sisters, whom I expected 
to come in on the first boat. This, as you 
can easily understand, was no small under- 
taking. To build a hospital in the wilder- 
ness, or rather on a mountain-side, in this 
part of the world, with wages from ten to fif- 
teen dollars a day, and in the few months of 
good weather which we call summer, is no 
small work. But, thank God, all has gone 
well, and I have a good hospital building, a 
house for the Sisters, a good church, and a 
residence for the priest. The buildings all 
being of logs and two stories high, without 
doubt I have the finest place in town. The 
only drawback has been that the Sisters did 
not succeed in getting up the river. When 
those outside sent word they could not come, 
I arranged to get four Sisters from the In- 
dian schools down the river. They came to 
within four hundred miles of Dawson; but, 



210 An American Missionary 

on account of low water, the steamer could 
not get up, so they returned to the schools. 

I was forced to open the hospital even be- 
fore I was ready, August 20th, and we have 
had about twenty patients ever since. Al- 
though it is not as good as if the Sisters were 
here, all are more than pleased with the hos- 
pital, finding it far better than they could ex- 
pect in these parts. . . . 

No one can tell how many will come here 
next spring from all parts of the world. 

The mail-carrier is waiting for this, so I 
must stop. ... I will try to send some let- 
ters by each mail and you can pass them 
around. ... I close with a heartfelt '^ God 
bless you !'' Your Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

The Missionary was thus thrown on his 
own resources, in the depth of an Arctic win- 
ter, with sick men to care for and only the 
necessaries of life for them and for himself, 
but his courage did not fail. The vitalizing 
power of the Catholic faith and of the grace 
that accompanies it, is wonderful and often 
enables weak mortals to accomplish what 
would else appear superhuman. Our Lord 
must have powerfully supported his minis- 
ter during that trying winter, for he not 
only did not despond, but he was able to aid 
and cheer others. 



Dawson City 211 

People in the States, knowing the extreme 
difficulty of transporting provisions to the 
Klondike region, and the number of men that 
had gone there, feared for the thousands 
who would have to spend the winter sur- 
rounded by almost impassable barriers of 
ice and snow. Rumors of threatened fam- 
ine and starvation circulated through the 
land. Like others, the relatives and friends 
of Dawson's pastor were seriously afraid 
that lack of food would be added to his 
other trials; and it was difficult to obtain 
news. 

Early in February, 1898, a letter from 
Father Judge reached his Superior and con- 
tained these reassuring lines : '' My health is 
pretty good, and I am very happy and so 
busy that it is almost impossible to get to 
town once a month. I have a good organ- 
ist for the church, and expect to have quite 
an orchestra for Christmas. . . . Pray often 
for me and for the work you have entrusted 
to my care. God's blessing seems to be on 
it." 

The " Klondike Nugget '' gave, in an able 
and sympathetic paragraph, this touching 
epitome of that winter's work: '^ During the 
winter of 1897-98 Father Judge's hospital 
was crowded with the sick and the frozen. 
The Father's charity was broad as the earth, 
and none of the hundreds of applicants were 



212 An American Missionary 

even asked their religious preferences. 
Nevertheless, the spiritual wants of his flock 
were provided for in a small church next to 
the hospital, and we find him adding priestly 
duties to his many other tasks. By the side of 
the dead and dying, burying them when none 
others appeared on the scene for that duty, 
superintending and personally directing even 
the minutest detail of the rapidly increasing 
hospital, cheering the sad, joking the conva- 
lescent, devising means of comfort for the 
irritable sick, coaxing the obstinate, praying 
with and for the religiously inclined, plan- 
ning appetizing morsels from an almost 
empty larder, cheering and encouraging the 
downhearted and sad — thus we find the good 
man spending his time until he is himself 
laid low by the cruel hand of remorseless 
disease. Delicate in health and frail in body 
from his earliest youth, it not infrequently 
happened that those he attended were heart- 
ier and stronger and suffered less than him- 
self." 

When the long winter was drawing to a 
close and the first signs of coming spring 
appeared, the active missionary hastened to 
dispel the fears of his relatives and to give 
them, as usual, an account of his doing, in 
the following letters: 



Dawson City 213 

Dawson, N. W. T., 
Dear Brother: ^^^^^ i, 1898. 

I am sure you and all my dear friends 
are greatly disappointed on account of my 
not writing more frequently; but, I assure 
you, it is not for want of good will that I 
do not let you know more about things here. 
We have great laughs at what is printed in 
the papers about these parts. Everything is 
so exaggerated, both the good and the bad. 
The papers have us all dead or starving; and 
yet, for my own part, I feel as if I were back 
in civilization again. Beef and mutton are 
no longer things of the past; although they 
do cost a dollar a pound wholesale, we have 
them all the same. So far there has been no 
starvation, and I hope there will be none; but 
as the stores have nothing to sell, those who 
have more than they need, or who are going 
out on the ice, sell what they can spare at 
fancy prices. The common price all the win- 
ter has been one dollar a pound for provisions 
of all kinds, and generally one would have 
to take all the party had — flour, meat, can- 
ned goods, salt, etc. — all at the same price. 
I have been paying a dollar and a half for 
candles, and I could not get them less. 

We have had as high as fifty in the hos- 
pital, about half of them scurvy cases, and 
all new men who came last summer. 



214 An American Missionary 

They are finding new gold-bearing creeks 
every few weeks; the excitement keeps up, 
antl no doubt there will be a great crowd 
here this summer, and the gold that will be 
taken out will add fuel to the fire of excite- 
ment outside. 

The Canadian mail, which should have 
been here last fall, has just arrived but has 
not been given out yet, and I cannot wait to 
see if there are any letters for me, as this 
must go to-night, for the bearer will leave 
in the morning. 

I am very well, but of course as busy as 
one can be. Everything however is going 
well; the hospital is praised by everyone, 
and it is the means of preventing a great deal 
of suffering and of doing much good. About 
a month ago we had a beautiful death. A 
man well known outside was converted while 
in the hospital by reading '' Plain Facts for 
Fair Minds. '^ He received the Sacraments 
with great devotion, and died most happily. 

If you want to send me anything, good 
books, I think, would be the most acceptable 
and would do the most good. I find those 
who are not of the faith very anxious to 
know something about the Church, and glad 
to read books explaining its doctrines. 

But I am not telling you about the coun- 
try. Well, no doubt there are great quanti- 
ties of gold here; but do not think that one 






a 

c 




Dawson City 215 

can come and get it without hard work. It 
is just the excessive hard work necessary to 
get here, together with the poor food and 
bad cooking on the trail and while travelling 
around the creeks looking for the gold, that 
brings the scurvy on so many. . . . 

We have been wondering that none have 
come down the river for several months ; but 
we hear that the Government has stopped 
them above, not letting anyone pass who has 
not a thousand pounds of provisions. . . • 

Once more assuring you of my own good 
health and happiness, and hoping that you 
are all enjoying good health and making 
good use of the grace of this holy season 
(Lent), I must stop with a most hearty 
'' God bless you ! '' 

Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

On the nth of the same month, after 
speaking of the starvation scare and the 
failure of the Sisters to get to Dawson, he 
writes to one of his sisters: " In the mean- 
time, I have been running the hospital my- 
self with hired help. Since we opened last 
August, we have had one hundred and sixty- 
eight patients, fifty being the highest num- 
ber in the house at one time. . . . The hos- 
pital has been the means of leading quite a 
few sheep back to the fold. . . • 



216 An American Missionary 

'' I have a good log church fifty by twenty- 
four feet, which will seat about two hundred. 
It is not finished yet, but it will be, as soon 
as the boats come in the spring and bring 
us some drilHng with which to line it. 

'' We are using it every day and the Blessed 
Sacrament is kept there. We had fine music 
for Christmas and they are now preparing 
for Easter. God has been very good to me, 
and has blessed the Mission beyond all that 
I could have hoped for, sending me so many 
friends and all the help needed for the hos- 
pital, and providing us with everything nec- 
essary when there was so great a scarcity 
of provisions. You must not fail to thank 
Him for His great goodness to me which I 
can not help attributing, in great part, to the 
prayers of my friends, who I know are con- 
stantly pleading for me. . . . 

'' I am glad that I am here to give some 
consolation to the great number of Catholics 
who come among the rest, and to sow good 
seed among the many non-Catholics whom 
I meet in the hospital and elsewhere. I have 
abundant consolation in all my labors. 

" The church goods you sent me have been 
a great source of pleasure to me, for it makes 
me happy to be able to keep the church neat 
and the vestments becoming. 

" I am sure I am not telling- you half you 
would like to know about the country, but 



Dawson City 217 

you must make allowance for one who has 
so many things to fill his head. After the 
Sisters come and relieve me in part of the 
hospital, I may be able to write more. . . . 

'' If men would do half as much for heaven 
as they do for gold, how many saints there 
would be, and how much more real happi- 
ness in this world! '' 

On April 25th he wrote: " I can send you 
only a few lines to-night, as the bearer, a 
great friend of mine, will start in a few hours 
and he wants to seal the mail he is taking 
out in a tin box, for fear of water, as the trail 
is getting bad now. I am kept so very busy 
that it is almost impossible to write. ... I 
am well and happy, and not starved as you 
feared. Last fall there were fears that we 
would not have food enough for all; but it 
all came out right — no starvation nor real 
suffering, although many had to do without 
things that they would have liked to have." 

The army of invasion from '' the outside " 
now began to swarm into Dawson, adding to 
the population at the rate of two thousand 
a month. It is supposed that thirty thousand 
persons went into the Yukon country that 
season, but of course all did not settle down 
in Dawson City. 

As the number of new arrivals increased, 
so did the work of Dawson's pastor. The 
correspondent already quoted said : '' Only 



218 An American Missionary 

those who were in Dawson City last spring, 
and saw the sick constantly cared for, can 
appreciate the untold good accomplished by 
Father Judge and his assistants. Men of all 
creeds, and of no creed at all, helped the 
good Jesuit priest, for he is greatly beloved 
for his unselfish and untiring efforts in be- 
half of the needy and unfortunate/' 

In the midst of this busy season of labor 
for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the 
people, there came a calamity that must have 
sorely tried Father Judge's patience. 

Early on the morning of Trinity Sunday, 
June 5th, the church, which had cost so much 
thought and labor, was consumed by fire. 
The event was thus described by the corre- 
spondent of the New York Post: ''About 
one o'clock Sunday morning early last June, 
the people of Dawson City were awakened 
by the cry of fire, an ominous sound at all 
times, but especially terrifying in a town of 
tents and resinous log cabins. There were 
the sickening roar of flames and the rush of 
hurrying feet. The first cry was that the 
hospital was on fire, and hundreds of strong 
men, trained by a life of danger to think 
quickly, grabbed their blankets and a pail 
and ran to the fire. Every one gave a sigh of 
relief when it was found that the church and 
not the hospital was blazing so fiercely. But 
the latter was in danger, and to save the sick 



Dawson City 219 

there must be instant action. While some 
hastily removed the suffering men, others 
formed a line and passed pail after pail of 
water to those on the roof of the hospital, 
pouring it on the blankets stretched over the 
roof and into the fierce furnace below. It 
was a terrible fight while it lasted, but it was 
soon over, and while every one felt sorry to 
have the church destroyed, a prayer of grat- 
itude went up that the helpless men in the 
hospital still had their refuge." 

What must have made the loss of the 
church doubly painful to its apostolic pastor, 
was the fact that he himself was the innocent 
cause of the misfortune. He had gone, as 
was his wont, late Saturday night, to say his 
office in the church. For light, he had a 
candle fixed on a rude wooden support. 
While he was thus engaged in offering up 
the prayers of the Church and communing 
with his Lord, some one came to summon 
him to the aid of a patient in the hospital 
who was very ill. He hastened away imme- 
diately, in his eagerness omitting to extin- 
guish the candle which, before he returned, 
burned down and set fire to the church. 

That must have been a dreary Trinity 
Sunday for both pastor and people, as they 
gazed upon the smouldering ruins. But not 
much time was lost in useless regret. A col- 
lection was started to rebuild the church, and 



220 An American Missionary 

a generous response came from both Cath- 
olics and Protestants, one of the latter 
weighing out a hundred dollars in " dust '' ; 
but, before the collection was finished, one 
generous man expressed his desire to assume 
the whole expense. His offer was accepted, 
and the amount that had been thus far col- 
lected was donated to the hospital. 

Work was begun on the new church and 
pushed with such energy that, in about ten 
weeks from the time of the fire, a much better 
church stood upon the site of the old one. 

The following letter to one of his brothers, 
written only two weeks after the fire, shows 
how bravely and calmly the Missionary ac- 
cepted both the loss and the new task im- 
posed upon him. 

St. Mary's Hospital, 
Dawson, June i8th, 1898. 
Dear Brother: Pax Christi! 

This is the first opportunity to send letters 
down the river; and, although I cannot spare 
the time, I must try to send a few words to 
let you all know that I am still alive and well. 

The crowd of new-comers is increasing 
every day and giving our little town the ap- 
pearance of a large city, the street being too 
crowded to be comfortable. 

A large amount of gold will go out this 



Dawson City 221 

year and the prospects are good for some 
years to come; yet the royalty and the heavy 
taxes discourage many from working their 
claims, the owners hoping to get the royalty 
off by next year. This will prevent many 
new men from getting work, and keep the 
country back. Many are going to seek their 
fortune in the American territory, where 
they will have much more ground and little 
or no taxation. 

My nice church, in which I took so much 
pride, all the altar furniture, vestments, 
flowers, lace curtains, and every thing for 
Mass and Benediction were burned two 
weeks ago to-day, June 4th. 

I was without Mass for a week, until an 
Oblate Father happened to come with a 
portable chapel, just a week after the fire. 

Tell M that all the nice flowers she 

has been sending, from year to year, are 
gone; so she must begin again, and send a 
new supply. 

I have not heard yet, but it is likely that 
the Oblate Fathers will take this place, and 
then I shall return to Alaska. If I do, I shall 
send you word of my whereabouts. . . . 
Your affectionate Brother, 

Wm. H. Judge, S. J. 

P. S. I am building a new church three 
times as large as the old one, and one of my 
friends will pay for it. 



222 An American Missionary 

Another of the Father's friends, now a 
prominent citizen of Dawson, gives us the 
following graphic account of his first visit 
to the hospital: 

I landed with 40,000 other men in the 
middle of June, 1898. Dawson was a city of 
tents — and sickness. The first familiar face I 
saw was that of an acquaintance of many 
years before. He had been in the Klondike a 
year, and was accounted rich. 

'' Have you been to see H ? '' was his 

first question after the usual salutations and 
mutual explanations. 

" Charley H ? Why I didn^t know he 

was here.'' 

'' Yep ! " he replied. " Been down with 
scurvy six months. Father Judge took him 
in. Guess he saved his life. But he's bad off. 
Guess it'd do him good to see you.'' 

'' Who is this Father Judge? " 

" Father Judge? Why, you don't mean to 
say you haven't heard of Father Judge? " 

'' I surely have not," I replied somewhat 
tartly. '' I've been in Dawson only an hour." 

"Well, all I've got to say is that you are 
forgetting your newspaper business, if 
you've been here an hour and haven't learnt 
of Father Judge. I guess he's a priest. Don't 
know much about those things anyhow. But 
I do know as he's saved I don't know how 
many lives this winter. I reckon he was the 



Dawson City 223 

only one of us as had time, or wasn't crazy 
about gold. Saved more'n a thousand. Doc- 
tors all mining, and the bummest lot you ever 
saw. Charged two ounces a visit, and the 
sick fellows mostly broke, or they wouldn't 
a'been sick. And say! You just ought to 
know Father Judge. He's the biggest jol- 
lier — the merriest fellow you ever met. 
When he runs out of medicine he goes and 
gets a lot of bark and spruce boughs, and he's 
kept a whole lot of 'em alive up there, waiting 
for medicines to come in. You didn't bring 
any with you, did you? " 

''Yes," I said. '' I've got some for myself 
in case I'm sick." 

My acquaintance, B , of the Arctic 

meat market, broke into a laugh as some- 
thing funny occurred to him. 

'' I guess you had better not let Father 
Judge know you've got it," he said. '' He'll 
get it out of you, if you do." 

" Is he pretty good on the beg? " I asked, 
grinning at B 's infectious merriment. 

'' Well, I should say so. Twice this win- 
ter he got nearly a quarter of meat out of 
me — two dollars a pound, too. But you go 
and see H and ask him." 

I secured my directions, and started 
through the thickly crowded single street of 
Dawson for the hill under the slide, where 



224 An American Missionary 

tradition says a whole village of Indians 
was once buried. 

I found, perched up on the rocks, a large 
canvas church — its log predecessor had been 
burned. Alongside was a log building, ex- 
tended with canvas tents. I entered at what 
I took to be the entrance, though there were 
many openings, with carpenters passing in 
and out. I was right, and found the " office,'* 
a bare room, but clean. I sat down on what 
I took to be a home-made lounge — it was 
of hard boards, covered with a clean carpet 
rug, with a pillow at the head. I touched 
the bell on the table, and it was answered by 
a tired-looking, old-young man. I recog- 
nized a shabby, priestly garb. 

"Is this Father Judge? '* 

" Yes-s,'' replied the stranger, eyeing me 
thoughtfully. ''How are you? You don't 
look sick." 

" No, no," I hastened to say. " I'm not 
sick. I just came down the river. I heard 
you had a friend of mine here, a Mr. — " 

'' Just came down the river, eh ? " he broke 
in. Then with his eyes twinkling and the 
appearance of age gone, he asked somewhat 
banteringly, but eagerly: — 

'' I don't suppose, now, you've got such 
things as potatoes with you? " 

'' Potatoes ! " I echoed, with astonishment. 
" I suppose you are hankering for a mess of 



Dawson City 225 

potatoes after the food famine of the past 
winter/' 

'' I? '' in great astonishment. " Why, bless 
your heart, no. I don't want potatoes. But 
I've got a big houseful of fellows here with 
scurvy, and medicine has been about gone 
for months. Potatoes would fix 'em though.'' 

He grew thoughtful, and continued as 
though speaking to himself: — 

'' There'll be some coming in pretty soon, 
I suppose, but I expect they will be five or 
ten dollars a pound, and I'm broke. Well! " 
with sudden resolution and briskness: '' I'll 
get them if I have to pray for them. Now, 
whom might you be wanting to see? " 

I told him, and received the proper 
directions. As I started up the stairs he 
said : — 

" You want to cheer him up till I can get 
some medicine or potatoes for him. We must 
keep them alive on hope, you know." 

I found H . He was sitting up in bed, 

smoking. He had been carried to the hospi- 
tal six months before, and had never been 
out of bed. In the ward with him were fif- 
teen other scurvy patients. After a hearty 

exchange of greetings, H proceeded to 

introduce to me every man in the room, after 
which I sat down on the edge of his bed and 
talked. 

'' I don't suppose you've brought any po- 



226 An American Missionary 

tatoes ? " he queried, as soon as the confu- 
sion consequent upon my arrival, had ceased. 

" Only the evaporated,'' I replied. " You 
all seem to want potatoes. I suppose from 
what Father Judge said to me, that potatoes 
are medicine to you fellows.'' 

'' A sure cure," spoke up everyone at once. 
Then H broke in: — 

''So you've seen Father Judge!" Then 
with a confident smile, as knowing the inevi- 
table answer: — '' What d'ye think of him? " 

Everyone in the room looked up, as if a 
well-worn and interesting theme of conver- 
sation had been brought up. 

"Oh," I repHed, diffidently, '^ I really 

haven't seen anything of him much. B 

was telling me down town that he is sort of 
popular about here." 

''Popular!" echoed H , in protest. 

" Don't use the word ' popular ' here. He's 
the finest man that God ever put a soul into. 
Where'd we all have been this winter without 
him, I'd like to know. He's just killing him- 
self trying to take care of everybody." 

" I'm sure he's a good man," I replied, 
sympathetically, for all had joined in silent 
but evidently hearty approbation of my 
friend, H . I continued: — 

'' You're not a CathoHc, H ? " 

'' O that doesn't cut any figure here. Why, 
God bless me, here's a bunch of sixteen of us 



Dawson City 227 

here now in the room, and not a blessed 
CathoHc in the lot — unless it's Jack, over 
there. But Father Judge is making Catholics 
fast. Never preaches or talks doctrine or 
forms of faith, you know, unless you ask 
him or show him your mind is uneasy on that 
score. No! He just does all a mortal man 
can do for you, and evidently wishes he could 
do more. Then he jollies you and goes to 
church, and you feel you'd give one of your 
two useless legs if you could follow him. 
Whist! here he comes." 

As Father Judge entered the room with a 
brisk step and serious mien, every patient 
that could, raised himself up in bed, while 
all heads were lifted. Oddly enough there 
was a smile on every sick face; only the 
priest looked dull and old. He passed at 
once to the centre bed, containing: the man I 
had heard named as ^' Tack." Tack had a 
rather uncouth, stolid face. He tried to rise 
as the priest approached, reached out and 
took one of the priest's hands tenderly in his 

own. H and everyone else had stopped 

all conversation. All looked on. H 

whispered softly to me: — 

" Jack's going to die. The scurvy's got up 
into his spleen and he's all swelled up. They 
all die when it gets there. Two died last 
week that way." 

I was sitting nearest Jack's bed. I watched 



228 An American Missionary 

the priest's solemn face slowly light up as 
from a glow within. The age disappeared. 
Patient and priest looked earnestly into each 
other's eyes for a full half minute. Then in 
the softest tones ever heard from a man's 
lips, Father Judge said: — 

" I've been praying for you, Jack. If it is 
the good Lord's will, you're going to get 
well. The medicine is beginning to come 
down the river. Nurse will be here in a 
minute with what you need. Your good old 
mother is going to see you again if prayers 
and medicine can avail. Say your prayers, 
my boy. I'm going down to the chapel again, 
and I'll leave your case in good hands." 

The priest smoothed back the sick man's 
hair from his forehead, and then I saw the 
man was crying. As the Father turned away. 
Jack raised the hand he held to his lips, and 
kissed it fervently, then buried his face in his 
pillow. 

The nurse came in, and the Father, per- 
sonally administered the new medicine, with 
thoughtful care. He turned his attention to 
the rest of the sick men. 

'' Now, Mr. H , those pillows don't 

look comfortable. I've got a better one 
down stairs. Just got it from a man who is 
going out. I'll send it up." '' Harry! What 
are you doing with your feet out of bed?" 
"' Let me make you comfortable, Williams " 



Dawson City 229 

— suiting the action to the words, and re- 
arranging bedclothes. 

Then taking a position in the very centre 
of the room : — 

" Tve got good news for you all/' He 
looked around with a happy smile. '' There's 
a whole scow-load of potatoes just landed! 
What d'ye think of that! Now, I do hope 
the good Lord will not require me to steal 
them." 

The idea of Father Judge stealing potatoes 
caused a breach of the silence in a moment. 
The laughter was infectious. Everyone 
laughed. Jack had wiped away his tears and 
spoke up behind the priest's back: — 

'' No, don't you steal 'em. Father. '' I'll 
steal 'em for you," at which there was an- 
other laugh. 

'' No, my boy," answered the priest, '' we 
won't have to steal them. We'll just pray." 
Then as a merry after-thought, '' It's 
quicker." 

Then suddenly becoming serious again 
and speaking softly: — 

'' I wanted you to know that the chapel 
downstairs is finished, and there will be serv- 
ices morning and evening. We cannot give 
too many thanks for what He has done for 
us this winter." 

He passed quietly around the room, taking 
temperatures where the cases were most 



230 An American Missionary 

serious, with a cheerful word to all, and a 
merry quip for every convalescent, petting 
the big fellows like great children, and every 
one of them looking the most profound grat- 
itude. 

When a nurse called him away, he hesi- 
tated just long enough to assume the most 
delicious Irish twang : — 

'' Now, don't ye all be after getting down- 
hearted. The boats do be coming in by hun- 
dreds, and Fm going out now to have them 
send ye down what's good for ye. Goodbye.'' 

His departure was the signal for the let- 
ting loose of a perfect flood of talk. The 
knowledge that the Father would be pres- 
ently among the host of new arrivals, pur- 
chasing, bargaining, and, when his money 
ran out, begging for his dearly beloved sick, 
was almost too much for many bursting 
hearts present. I have never in all my event- 
ful life listened to such a stream of adulation 
for a living man. Incidents of the winter 
were related, in which Father Judge had 
always figured in absolute self-forgetfulness. 
His never wavering faith that the Lord 
would provide for him and his sick was dwelt 
upon at length. At one time he had accepted 
charge of twenty more patients than there 
were beds in the institution, or bedding for. 
Before dark, three bales of blankets were 
brought on an unknown sleigh, dumped at 



Dawson City 231 

the door, and the driver hurried off. At 
another time, he had to put his rapidly in- 
creasing patients in an upper, unfinished 
room, with only the ceiling overhead, and no 
roof to ward off the summer storms, so 
plentiful in the Yukon. And, as if in answer 
to prayer, the storms relented, and it was 
fine for three weeks, or until the last board 
of the roof was in place. Much earlier, in 
the dead of winter, he had been unable to 
get a hole dug in the cemetery for the recep- 
tion of one of the dead, and had himself 
worked with pick and shovel, until he was 
about to give up in despair, when in the 
semi-darkness, two burly men came in from 
the creeks with the story that it had been 
borne upon them that they were wanted at 
the hospital, and there they were to com- 
plete the grave and cover in the coffin. 
The experience of another is thus told: — 
"In June, 1898, my father and I were 
mining on No. 21 Below, Lower Discovery 
on Dominion Creek. One George Hunt was 
at this time ill in the hospital at Dawson, 
and, as we had to take a trip in for provis- 
ions, while there, we went to see him. It was 
then I met Father Judge for the first 
time, and never will I forget him as he looked 
that day. One felt that his very glance was 
a blessing. 

" The Catholic hospital was then only two 



232 An American Missionary 

stories high, built all of log^s. Dawson at that 
time was being visited by an epidemic, and 
all available space was filled. Each room 
held three or four sick men; the halls and 
aisles were filled with cots, leaving just 
enough space for the nurses to move around. 
Father Judge gave up his own room and bed, 
and slept where he could. Indeed he hardly 
needed a bed, for he slept very little those 
days, and in reply to the nurses' pleading 
that he take some rest, he said that ' when 
his work was finished he would have plenty 
of time for sleeping.' The little ten by twelve 
office and the kitchen were the only places 
free from sick-cots. 

''We did not see much of him on that trip — 
there were from four to twelve men dying 
every day, and his time, with the exception 
of half an hour for saying Mass, was devoted 
to cheering and nursing the sick, helping 
them to die well, and, after all was over, per- 
forming the last rites over them. 

'' There were many men in the Yukon that 
year who knew nothing and cared less for 
religion, and yet I felt, from hearing them 
talk, that the love and respect they bore 
Father Judge amounted almost to a religion. 
One man, an infidel, once said to me that the 
only time he ever felt he wanted to believe 
was when he was with Father Judge, and he 
thought if he could only have seen more of 



Dawson City 233 

him he would have turned to the Church 
eventually. 

" During this portion of Father Judge's life 
in the Yukon he said Mass in a tent. The 
church had been burned down shortly be- 
fore, they having hard work to save the hos- 
pital. The tent was built on the side of the 
hill, which left a large open space under- 
neath. I have seen the attendance at Mass 
so great that the tent could not accommo- 
date the crowd, and the space underneath 
would be filled also. Neither fire nor his 
hard work at the hospital discouraged 
Father. 

'' It was well known in the Yukon that it 
was only necessary to let Father Judge know 
you were in need, and anything he had was 
at your disposal. The only time I heard of 
his wrapping himself up well, was once when 
he gave an undergarment to a man, and he 
was hastening home without it. 

'' He once placed part of his own cache at 
the disposal of my father and myself when 
we did not have a place to store our goods. 

'' It is hard to describe the influence Father 
Judge had over people who came in contact 
with him. I always felt as if I were with one 
who was goodness itself — one who could 
see right into my heart. He always left with 
me the feeling that I wanted to go off all by 
myself and pray. He rarely smiled, and yet 



234 An American Missionary 

his face was radiant — beaming with an in- 
describable Hght. 

" I returned from Dawson to the claim, 
and had been there only a few days when 
word was passed along that Father Judge 
was ill. We had hardly become used to the 
thought, when word was passed along that 
he was dead. Our claim was about forty 
miles from Dawson, and we had the news the 
day after his death. It was wonderful how 
rapidly the news spread. It travelled faster 
than a man could, for by the time the man 
who started with the news had taken his first 
meal on the road and rested, the news had 
passed beyond him being passed along by 
the claim owners. This will give you a faint 
idea of the love and respect the men had for 
him. Catholics and non-Catholics. It was a 
terrible shock — we could hardly realize that 
the church in Dawson could get along with- 
out him. 

" I started for the town the next morning 
hoping to be in time for the funeral, but was 
a few hours late, notwithstanding the fact 
that I met a dog team and went through in 
one day. On my arrival I found the stores all 
closed as a tribute of respect, and all draped 
in black, with black festoons on the houses 
as well. The whole town was in mourning. 
The church all in mourning looked very som- 
bre with the pillars entwined with black. I 



Dawson City 235 

feel sure there was not a person in the Yukon 
that knew him, who did not feel sorry for 
himself, but glad for the Father whose hard 
work was over and who had been called to 
his rest. Nothing else was talked of. Of 
course we being CathoHcs felt it the worst; if 
the whole town had slipped down into the 
river it would not have been more of a shock. 

" I was told that the Sunday before he died, 
while apparently in good health, he told the 
Sisters at the hospital that his work here 
was ended, and that he felt that God would 
call him before the week was over. Father 
Judge's name will go down in the history of 
the Yukon as one of its heroes, and I feel 
sure he will never be forgotten by any who 
knew him.^^ 

About a month after the burning of the 
church, the Missionary had the joy of wel- 
coming to Dawson the Sisters of St. Ann, 
who hastened to his aid as soon as they 
could make their way up the Yukon. The 
sick in Dawson were now to have the service 
that has been given on many a battlefield 
and in thousands of hospitals — the minis- 
trations of those blessed women to whom 
Captain '' Jack '' Crawford, who was in Daw- 
son in 1898, once referred in these glowing 
words : — 

'' On all God's green and beautiful earth, 
there are no purer, no nobler, no more kind- 



236 An American Missionary 

hearted and self-sacrificing women than 
those who wear the sombre garb of CathoHc 
Sisters. During the war, I had many oppor- 
tunities for observing their noble and heroic 
work, not only in camp and hospital, but on 
the death-swept field of battle. Right in the 
fiery front of dreadful war, where bullets 
hissed in maddening glee, and shot and shell 
flew madly by with demoniac shrieks, where 
dead and mangled forms lay with pale blood- 
flecked faces, yet wearing the scowl of battle, 
I have seen the black-robed Sisters moving 
over the field, their solicitous faces wet with 
the tears of sympathy, administering to the 
wants of the wounded and whispering words 
of comfort into the ears soon to be deafened 
by the cold implacable hand of death. . . . 
How many a veteran of the war, who wore 
the Blue or the Gray, can yet recall the sooth- 
ing touch of a Sister's hand, as he lay upon 
the pain-tossed couch of a hospital! Can we 
ever forget their sympathetic eyes, their low, 
soft-spoken words of encouragement and 
cheer when the result of the struggle be- 
tween life and death yet hung in the balance? 
Oh ! how often have I followed the form of 
that good Sister Valencia, with my sunken 
eyes, as she moved away from my cot to the 
cot of another sufferer, and have breathed 
from the most sacred depths of my faintly- 



Dawson City 237 

beating heart the fervent prayer: God bless 
her! God bless her! 

" My friends, I am not a Catholic, but I 
stand ready, at any and all times, to defend 
these noble women, even with my life, for I 
owe that life to them/' * 

We may say of the life of every Christian, 
and especially of the life of every Missionary, 
what the Church says of St. Joseph : '' Mis- 
cens gaudia fletibus '' — '' mingling joys with 
tears ''; it is an alternation of joy and sor- 
row. 

Thus to the pastor of St. Mary's, after the 
sorrow caused by the fire, came the joy of 
the Sisters' coming; this in turn was fol- 
lowed by fresh solicitude, when, at the be- 
ginning of August, typhoid fever became 
epidemic. 

Every day new patients were brought to 
the hospital, so that in two weeks the limited 
space was filled. What was to be done ? We 
shall let Sister Mary of the Angel Guardian 
answer. '' The charity of Father Judge," 
she wrote, " again did wonders. With the 
aid of devoted and charitable friends, he 
immediately undertook the construction of 
an addition to the hospital, three stories high 
and seventy feet long by twenty wide, and 
of a wing twenty-three feet long by twenty- 
eight wide. The work was pushed forward 

♦"Angels of the Battlefield," Barton, P. 299. 



238 An American Missionary 

with vigor. As fast as a story was finished, 
the sick were transported into it. This lodg- 
ing, even in its unfinished state, afforded 
them more comfort than they could find on 
the damp earthen floor of their tents. The 
epidemic lasted three long months, and the 
hospital was always full. Most of the sick 
found in this asylum, the blessing of health, 
and a great number of Catholics that of a 
sincere conversion.'' 

Here was work indeed for the pastor. 
Happily the Sisters were at hand to lessen 
his labors in the hospital; and soon the 
Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate were 
to lend their aid in the parish work, and 
stretch out their strong arms to help support 
the growing burden. 

Thanks to the generosity of Alexander 
McDonald, the new church was nearing com- 
pletion without being a financial burden; 
but, it was not so with the extension of the 
hospital and the support of the inmates, to 
meet the expenses of which. Father Judge 
was obliged to go into debt. 

It must have been hard for him to refuse 
anyone admission to the hospital; and yet, 
he had to be prudent and not go too far be- 
yond his means. The difficulty of the situa- 
tion is thus described by the Klondike Nug- 
get : " Last summer saw the Father adding 
building after building in an effort to keep 



Dawson City 239 

up with the demands upon his charity. At 
last a point was reached which distressed 
him sadly — a lack of any more funds com- 
pelled the questioning of applicants as to 
their finances. Hesitatingly and with pro- 
fuse apology, the good man would ask the 
vital question and ask them to secure an 
order of admission from the Government. 
Nevertheless, as the books of the institution 
will show, the bulk of the work at St. Mary's 
Hospital has been done purely in the name of 
charity; and this in a land of wealth untold." 

During the epidemic there were in the hos- 
pital, besides six Sisters, thirty-four em- 
ployees, male and female, whose salary 
amounted to more than three thousand dol- 
lars, with board and lodging. 

We may conclude this imperfect account 
of the work of that busy summer and fall, 
with the Missionary's own words contained 
in the last letter received in Baltimore from 
him, and written from St. Mary's Hospital, 
Dawson City, under date of Oct. 6th, 1898. 

'* I have had a very busy summer, the 
building of our new church in place of the 
one burned, and a large addition to the hos- 
pital, together with the care of providing 
for the coming winter, was no little work, 
and the large number of patients in the hos- 
pital for the past two months has kept me 
as busy as I could be day and night. We 



240 An American Missionary 

have 135 patients at present, mostly typhoid 
fever, which has been very bad here this sum- 
mer, but the doctors all agree that we are 
having unusually good success in the hos- 
pital. 

''Our new church is very fine for this part 
of the world, and would do credit to a much 
older town. It has cost $25,000, and is the 
gift of one good man, Alexander McDonald. 
I said the first Mass in it on August 21st, 
and blessed it, and then turned it over to the 
Oblates of Mary, who have charge of the 
parish now. I still have the care of the hos- 
pital, which is as much as I can attend to 
with the present number, but I expect to 
turn it over to the Sisters in the spring and 
go back to Alaska, where I belong. 

" We have five or six hundred at Mass 
every Sunday, so you can understand what 
kind of town we have. I have a telephone in 
my office, not only for the town but also to 
the creeks (the creeks are fifteen miles from 
Dawson). They are preparing to give us 
electric light. I think we shall have about 
15,000 people in this town this winter. I 
have met several Baltimore people here late- 
ly, and indeed nearly every part of the world 
is represented. 

'' It is sad to see how many poor people 
have left good homes to come here and find 
themselves without the necessaries of life, 



d<^ 



h -fv 



ImM 









^^^Bt^^t^^^TwB^ w 




w 


; 


v» '^ 


J 



Dawson City 241 

without money and without work. I fear 
there will be much suffering here this winter. 
There are thousands still in tents, and winter 
is on us.'' 

Relieved of the care of the parish, Father 
Judge became Chaplain of the hospital, and 
concentrated all his devotion and zeal upon 
the work of that institution. 

In all such houses it is desirable to have a 
chapel for the devotions of the Chaplain and 
the Sisters, and for the convenience of the 
sick and convalescent. Father Judge was 
engaged on the construction and fitting up 
of a chapel for the hospital when Christmas 
came with its ever-consoling graces and 
cheering memories. It was the last Christ- 
mas that he was to spend on earth. 

December 27th, he wrote to his Superior 
in Juneau. This letter showed that he was 
well and rejoicing at the work that was being 
done. '' The hospital,'' he said, '' continues 
to do much good for souls, and saves many 
lives." Enclosed was the program of an en- 
tertainment given on Christmas night for the 
benefit of St. Mary's Hospital. 

We shall let an eye-witness, C. H. Higgins, 
give the details of the Missionary's life dur- 
ing the latter part of 1898: — 

" Winter' came on ; the last boats for up and 
down the river left at the beginning of Octo- 
ber, and we were frozen in for eight months. 



242 An American Missionary 

The days became shorter fast, snow had fal- 
len covering the mountain peaks and the en- 
tire country. Father Judge liked the winter 
best. ' This part of the world is so beautiful 
in its mantle of purity/ he said. Work had 
begun in earnest on the creeks, and all were 
settled down to do what they could to be 
ready with their wash-ups in May, 1899, 
many to be disappointed, others to succeed. 

Let us briefly review one of Father Judge's 
ordinary days, after looking in at his only 
private quarters. In the front room on the 
first floor of the hospital building, which was 
the office, was a table that served as a desk, 
a small book-case containing religious books, 
a wash-stand, a stove, and in the southeast 
corner a rough board lounge about two feet 
high. On this were a couple of blue blankets, 
and a robe. A curtain hanging down the 
sides of the lounge covered a rough wooden 
drawer which served to contain his few be- 
longings. This was his room, the lounge 
was his bed. He thought much of the robe, 
for it was the one Archbishop Seghers used, 
and on which he was lying when he was mur- 
dered by his attendant. 

Father Judge rose between five and six, 
and the first seen of him was when, with cas- 
sock on, he was repairing to the church or 
chapel to say Mass. We have mentioned be- 
fore the very spiritual expression he always 



Dawson City 243 

had at this time, and the impression made on 
those who heard him say Mass. After his 
thanksgiving he went to the office where fre- 
quently special matters awaited his atten- 
tion. He would spend some time receiving 
patients, hearing poor unfortunates and en- 
couraging them, or perhaps he would be 
called to a patient very ill, whom he would 
see, and then carry to him the Holy Euchar- 
ist. After this he took off his cassock, and 
became the manager of a large hospital. He 
would take a light meal, frequently sharing it 
with another, and then make a general in- 
spection of all the patients, asking and an- 
swering questions. If anyone were danger- 
ously ill, a screen was put around the bed, the 
priest would ae*ain put on his cassock, and re- 
turn to the sick one, speaking to him those 
words which in many cases seemed to restore 
health, or to make death easy and peaceful. 
This was part of his daily labors. Do you 
wonder, reader, that all eyes were turned in 
the direction from which his daily visit 
came? The poor patients were hungry to 
see this man of God; even non-Catholics 
were pleased to see him, and it is well known 
that a large number of conversions were 
made on those hospital beds. 

His next occupation was to go out and see 
that the various persons employed were do- 
ing their work properly, in the enlarging of 



244 An American Missionary 

the hospital, the building of the church, and 
those things necessary for the daily running 
of the institution. 

It often occurred that when a patient was 
very low his friends on the creeks were ad- 
vised of the fact, and if he desired services 
other than those of Father Judge, a minister 
was called. When a patient died, if he were 
a Catholic a Mass was said, after which the 
friends carried the body from the church to 
the grave. Father Judge, wearing cassock 
and surplice, led, an attendant carried a 
lighted candle and holy water, and the re- 
mains were buried with solemn ceremony. 
The bodies of the dead were always carefully 
washed and as neatly attired as it was possi- 
ble, Father several times giving part of his 
scant wardrobe to supply some need. 

A large number of persons called daily on 
various business affairs, Protestants and 
Catholics alike seeking his advice and direc- 
tion. He was looked up to as the one per- 
son in the gold-fields who would give solid, 
unselfish, and truthful direction. All knew 
and spoke of him as ' Father Judge,' their 
friend. 

Thus the entire day was filled up; and, 
though it was supposed that he retired about 
eleven o'clock, after he sought his room, no 
one knew what rest he took. At any hour 
of the night he might be seen moving quietly 



Dawson City 245 

through the private rooms or wards of the 
hospital, and he always insisted that the 
nurses should call him if any patient asked 
to see him, so that none who might wish his 
priestly services would be deprived of them. 

On Sunday, August 21st, 1898, the new 
church was dedicated by Father Judge, as- 
sisted by the Oblate Fathers. Father Judge 
preached a most striking sermon on the Real 
Presence; no gestures, no complex sentences, 
only plain, forcible, convincing words which 
were understood by anyone who understood 
English. This was the great beauty of his 
preaching; it was always plain, and so clear- 
ly from his heart that it sank deep into the 
hearts of his hearers. In concluding his ser- 
mon on the day of the dedication, I remem- 
ber, he used a sentence frequently uttered by 
him, ^' Remember man, the end for which you 
were created/' After the dedication of the 
church Father Judge at once took the two 
rooms next to his office and bed-room and 
made of them a small chapel in which he per- 
formed his priestly duties until his death. 
He and Father Gendreau, the Superior of the 
Oblate Fathers, were close friends, and after 
he had turned over the church to the Oblates 
of Mary they insisted that he should some- 
times officiate and preach in the new church, 
which had been erected by Mr. McDonald 
through love and respect for Father Judge 



246 An American Missionary 

as well as for the glory and the worship of 
God. He accepted the invitation and offi- 
ciated every third Sunday. 

Thus things went on. Christmas was ap- 
proaching, and the arrangements for the 
minstrel performance were almost com- 
plete.* It was necessary to obtain a hall. 
We expected, taking things at their inflated 
values in Dawson, that a fair price for a hall 
with heat and light would be from $300 to 
$400. We went to Mr. Joseph Cooper, 
owner of the Tivoli Theatre, and explained 
our mission. He said : ' When do you wish 
to have it?' As many tickets, at five dollars 
each, had been sold on the creeks and most 
of the men would come into town on Christ- 
mas day, without consulting Father Judge, 
we told him, ' On Christmas nigfht.' Mr. 
Cooper replied, ' You go to Father Judge 
and say I will give the hall with light and 
heat free of charge.' This was a most 
agreeable surprise, and a substantial dona- 
tion. 

In the meantime a few of Father's friends 
about the hospital decided that he must have 
for Christmas a suit of clothes that would 
better become the dignity of his calling. A 
tailor was sent to get his measure, but he 
would not consent to that. Then we in- 

* To help pay off the debt on the hospital, it had been deter- 
mined to get up a minstrel entertainment. 



Dawson City 247 

structed the tailor to do the best he could 
to make up a suit, which he did. In addition 
to this, a fine sealskin coat, reaching to his 
knees, was procured, with a sealskin cap and 
gloves. One evening a few days before 
Christmas, Father was called away from the 
office by arrangement, and, on his return, he 
found waiting for him half a dozen friends 
and his new outfit. He was surprised. Then 
the spokesman explained. 

Father Judge was much moved by their 
thoughtfulness, but he told them that he 
could not accept the gifts, that being a Jesuit 
priest he could own nothing, and he did not 
feel that he could accept the gifts without 
the consent or order of his Superior. 

This chilled the ardor of his friends for a 
time, but they urged on him that he needed 
these things, that his Superior could not be 
reached without some person risking his life 
in going out over the ice to see him, and that 
Father Rene, his Superior, would not arrive 
possiblv for six months. It was at this point 
that a friend urged on the Father that most 
of the donors were Protestants, and we 
think this had much to do with his finally 
accepting the clothes. 

All was now excitement arransfing for the 
great festival of Christmas. Spruce and pine 
boughs, with which the country abounds, 
were gathered and the church was decorated. 



248 An American Missionary 

Father also cheered his poor sick men by 
decorating the wards. He had an artist 
paint the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, the 
angels, the Wise Men, etc., on separate 
pieces of cardboard; and these surrounded a 
figure of the infant Saviour, in a most beau- 
tifully arranged crib, the work of Father 
Judge and the Sisters. All was now ready, 
and many were waiting for twelve o'clock 
Saturday night, to repair to St. Mary's for 
midnight Mass on the Yukon. Several fine 
singers were to act as choir; a small reed- 
organ was accompanied by several stringed 
instruments. Long before Mass, the Oblate 
Fathers were busy arranging vestments, 
etc., for Solemn High Mass, of which Father 
Judge was to be celebrant. The choir 
took possession of the gallery, and the 
body of the church rapidly filled up 
with many men, and some women, from 
all over the globe. Owing to the cold 
weather their dresses were of all kinds. Some 
had sweaters, some wore furs, others again 
appeared with their civilization clothes, 
making altogether an odd sight. 

All awaited the coming of the celebrant, 
who most likely, after seeing his patients 
cared for, went to his little chapel to prepare 
for the offering up of the Holy Sacrifice. 

In a few minutes, while all was still, a foot- 
step was heard, and Father Judge was seen 



Dawson City 249 

advancing up the middle aisle. Something 
seemed to illuminate his countenance as he 
advanced towards the altar, and moved to 
the Gospel side. The choir sang the Adeste 
Fideles, after which the priests turned to- 
wards the altar, Father Judge standing on 
the very spot that, four weeks later, was to 
be his tomb. The Mass began with beauti- 
ful music, and was devoutly followed by the 
worshippers. Father Judge read in English 
the Gospel of the first Mass on Christmas 
Day, after which he preached a touching ser- 
mon on the love we owe to God for His com- 
ing on earth to redeem us. Then he drew 
a vivid picture of the loved ones of his 
hearers in their widely-scattered homes, 
where the vacant chair was their one anxiety 
that day. No one who heard, or was pres- 
ent, could fail to see that all were deeply 
affected. Strong men wept. Father urged 
those who had been successful to remember 
that God had made them simply His stew- 
ards, and would demand an account; then to 
the majority of us he showed that while we 
might not have been successful in earthly 
gains, if we kept close to God it would be 
better than if we had gained not only the 
wealth of the Klondike, which we knew to be 
great, but of the whole world. All were 
benefited by his words, and their sorrow 
would have been great indeed had they 



250 An American Missionary 

known that this was to be the last pubHc 
utterance, at High Mass, of our loved Father. 

Father Judge said a Low Mass after finish- 
ing the first Mass, and later said his third 
Mass in the hospital chapel. 

The services of the day being over the final 
arrangements for the minstrel entertainment 
were made, and several of Father's friends 
who had engaged boxes for the performance 
asked him to share them. He did not wish 
to go, but they begged him in the name of 
the hospital, for the benefit of which it was 
being held, to go down for a while. Of 
course he knew well that there was no evil in- 
tiention in choosing that day for it, as the 
parties had not been posted on the matter, 
and none had thought of Christmas falling 
on Sunday. Indeed it was like a Christian 
affair, all saloons and dance-halls being 
closed. So Father Judge went at their urgent 
request. The performance was clean, and 
the persons taking part in it did their parts 
cleverly. At the end of the first part all the 
performers withdrew except the interlocu- 
tor, Mr. George Noble, who arose and, ad- 
dressing the audience, pictured our dear 
Father from the time he turned his face to- 
wards Dawson, mentioned the great work 
he had accomplished, but never once used 
his name. In concluding his address Mr. 
Noble referred to him as the ' Grand old man 




1. 

CAPTAIN JACK CRAWFORD 



Dawson City 251 

of Dawson/ This was the signal for the 
house to go wild with enthusiasm, calling 
upon Father Judge. He finally came upon 
the stage, and the cheering continued for five 
minutes. It would have lasted much longer, 
but the audience saw that Father was grow- 
ing embarrassed and they quieted down. 
Then Father Judge thanked the performers 
and the audience for their kindness to the 
hospital. This was the only time we saw 
him in his new clothes. When he withdrew, 
the cheering began again and continued for 
some time. Everybody was pleased, and the 
hospital was two thousand dollars richer by 
the entertainment. 

One of Father Judge's callers during that 
eventful winter, was John Wallace Craw- 
ford, better known as '' Capt. Jack '' or '' The 
Poet Scout," whose checkered career and 
varied experiences are making him to-day a 
welcome figure on the lecture platform. In 
characteristic style, the Captain tells us of 
his visit. Writing to an old acquaintance, 
he says: 

" I was delighted to get on to your trail 
when I met you at Harrisburg, after our 
Klondike experience; and my thoughts go 
back to the bitter cold day in 1898, when it 
was 40"" below zero and I left my little log 
cabin on the hillside, near the hospital, and 



252 An American Missionary 

rushed in to open my heart and soul to that 
martyr for God and humanity, Father Judge. 

'' When I told my story of how I was vic- 
timized by a hypocrite, who wanted me to 
get rich and make him rich by endorsing as 
true his lying prospectus, which claimed 
twelve million dollars' worth of property in 
the Klondike, where there was absolutely not 
a color of gold. . . . 

^' ' My son,' he said, taking me by the hand, 
' don't hesitate for a moment. Sit down and 
expose the whole scheme.' Then he handed 
me a roll of bills, adding: ' Take this, it will 
tide you over till you get something to do.' 
Well, I was never idle a moment, as you 
know. I assisted at some twenty benefits 
for the unfortunate, and gave my entertain- 
ment to thousands of the boys out on the 
creeks, and in all my life I never had so much 
real pleasure while assisting others. It was 
not long until I built my own little shack and 
opened my Wigwam, up near the Barracks, 
where I sold hay and grain on commission, 
and made ice-cream in the summer; indeed, 
I sold baled hay and ice-cream over the same 
counter, and there was but little difference 
in the price by weight, for I sold baled hay 
at 35c per lb., and oats and corn at 30c. . . . 

" Well, as I look back over the Klondike 
trails and mountains, sorrows and joys, the 
great kind face appears, and the soul of 



Dawson City 253 

Father Judge seems peeping from his 
honest blue eyes into the tangled brush 
of my own soul, and I hear him saying: 
^ My son, don't hesitate, sit right down 
and expose the whole scheme/ And so this 
Christmas Day I will let my soul dictate a 
tribute to one of God's anointed, my friend, 
and the friend of humanity/' 

FATHER JUDGE. 

Christ died for men and so did he — 

The sweetest soul I ever knew, 
And when he grasped the hand of me, 

His honest laughing eyes of blue 
Dispelled the clouds from out my sky 

And warmed the chill from off my heart; 
And when it comes my time to die 

I pray we won't be far apart. 

But if there is a gulf between 

The Father and the wayward stray, 
His love will tell what might have been 

And Christ will open up the way. 
And true as there's a God above 

I know with all my heart and soul 
That all who suffer for the love 

Of truth, will reach the heavenly goal. 

Not for a creed or circumstance 

Would he a helping hand refuse; 
Nor pomp, nor power, nor grand finance 

Could change his broad and noble views. 
He saw his duty. Who can tell 

How much we loved him in the West? 
But He, who doeth all things well, 

To his tired soul had whispered "Rest." 



254 An American Missionary 

When last I gazed into his face — 

His dear, dead face, so truly kind, 
A halo seemed to light the place 

For God had left the smile behind. 
And hardy miners bowed their heads 

And felons wiped a tear away. 
And fever patients in their beds 

Were conscious of a loss that day. 

God's martyr — His adopted son — 

He died, dear friends, for you and me; 
He surely died as Christ had done 

In love, in truth, in poverty. 
I crave not wealth, nor care for fame, 

Nor wealth nor fame do I begrudge, 
But Lord, permit me once again 

To clasp the hand of Father Judge, 



CHAPTER IX. 
HIS DEATH AND FUNERAL. 

" I have fought a good fight ; I have finished my course." 

//. Tim, iv., 7, 

NEW Year's Day, 1899, fell on Sunday, 
and by that time the chapel of the hos- 
pital was so near completion that Father 
Judge was able to say the first Mass in it. 

This circumstance must have helped to 
make the day for him and the inmates of the 
hospital one of special happiness. 

Each day of the following week he offered 
the Holy Sacrifice in this, the last of the 
sanctuaries that he was privileged to estab- 
lish for the God of the Eucharist. On Satur- 
day, January 7th, he vested and went to the 
altar, but feeling ill he was obhged to forego 
the consolation of saying Mass. Then fol- 
lowed a week of sickness and pain, the strug- 
gle of an enfeebled system against the fever 
and congestion incident to pneumonia,^ until, 
on January i6th at about 2 o'clock in the 
afternoon, death put an end to the labors of 
Dawson's first pastor. 

255 



256 An American Missionary 

We shall let the same devoted companion, 
whom we have quoted in the preceding chap- 
ter, relate the incidents of the Missionary's 
last hours : — 

" Having some business of his to attend to 
on Hunker Creek, I went to his room, 
knocked on the door, and was invited to en- 
ter. He lay on his rough bed, dressed in his 
cassock. After giving me instructions about 
the business in hand, he said he could not say 
Mass that day. 

'' When I returned from the creek he had 
been put to bed in the second room from the 
front up-stairs. From day to day he would 
grow worse, and then rally. Hundreds of 
inquirers came daily, and wherever one 
turned the question was, 'How is Father?' 
Any other name was unnecessary. One 
evening, a few days before the end, the 
Priests, Sisters, Brother Cunningham, three 
Indians, a boy and two girls, doctors and 
nurses, had gathered in the room for what 
was supposed would be his death. One of 
the Sisters was reading chapters 23 and 24, 
Book I, of The Following of Christ. Father's 
breathing was slow and hard, so the doctor 
made a signal for the Sister to stop reading. 
Almost at once Father Judge, to the sur- 
prise of all, spoke out, saying: 'Keep on. 
Sister, that is what I want to hear,' and after 
a half hour he rallied and seemed stronger. 



His Death and Funeral 257 

George Mitchell, an old-time friend from 
down the river, and a Protestant, who was 
oftener called Skiff Mitchell, came into the 
room and knelt at the bedside. Father 
opened his eyes and recognized him, uttering 
his name. Poor Mitchell cried, as many 
others about the bed did, and Father said to 
him, * George, why are you crying?' Of 
course, on account of his sorrow, the man 
could not answer. Father continued: 
' George, v/e have been old friends almost 
since I came into the country.^ Then 
Mitchell said : ' Yes, and we can't afford to 
lose friends like you.' Father then replied: 
^ George, you have got what you came for. 
I, too, have been working for a reward, 
would you keep me from it?' No answer 
was made, as all were filled with sorrow. 

''The doctor seeing Father's improved con- 
dition told all to leave the room. Only Mr. 
George Burns, an old down-river friend, and 
myself remained. About midnight Father 
said to Mr. Burns : ' George, go down-stairs 
and make me a cup of tea as you used to, 
down the river.' Mr. Burns went out, and 
then I was alone with my good friend. No- 
ticing that he had his eyes closed, and that 
his lips were dry from fever, I took some 
glycerine and water and moistened them. 
He opened his eyes, and said, ' Oh, thank 
you.' I did not answer, but simply looked at 



258 An American Missionary 

him. Then he said: 'Kneel down, and I 
will give you my dying blessing/ After say- 
ing that we needed him so badly I did as he 
ordered, and he raised his hand and blessed 
me. Soon Mr. Burns returned, and after 
taking the tea Father dozed until morning. 
'' During this time inquiries continued and 
the town seemed as if some calamity were 
about to fall on it. On Monday, January 
i6th, when I was returning to the hospital 
from town, a manager of one of the new 
commercial companies called me to know 
Father's condition. I answered him, and he 
gave me a small case of champagne to take 
to the doctor, thinking Father's weak stom- 
ach would be helped by it. The value of this 
wine in Dawson was thirty dollars a pint. I 
mention this simply to show that the friend- 
ship of the giver was practical. When I 
reached the hospital, I noticed the noiseless 
moving about near his room, and seeing 
Priests, Sisters, and all gathering there I 
followed and knelt with the rest. It was 
nearly two o'clock, and gloomy, as we had 
not seen a ray of sunlight since November. 
All were sad and dared not look at one an- 
other, for grief was pent up in all. Suddenly 
the rays of the sun shot into the death cham- 
ber for a moment and again were gone, and 
with them went the pure soul of Father 
Judge. 



His Death and Funeral 259 

'' It is impossible to describe the feehngs 
of those present. The good Oblates of Mary 
had lost a brother Priest, the Sisters one who 
was a real father to them and who had pre- 
pared the way for them to perform the duties 
of charity they so cheerfully took up. The 
Indians lamented him pitiably. His com- 
panion, Brother Cunningham, had lost his 
master and guide, the physicians and at- 
taches of the hospital their devoted friend 
and helper; but what of those who for two 
weeks had watched in vain for that morning 
visit of their protector and comforter? I 
think no sadder place could be described than 
the rooms and wards of St. Mary's Hospital, 
when the inmates learned that Father Judge 
was dead. Long afterward they would 
speak of their ' friend in need.' 

'' About the hospital all hearts were heavy, 
yet the necessary arrangements for the burial 
had to be made. The question was where 
should the grave be? In a short time it was 
decided that Father Judge should be buried 
on the Gospel side of the altar, so that those 
whom he loved and who loved him could 
offer their prayers to God, and invoke our 
dear Father's help in their trials, which he 
knew so well. It took Tuesday and Wednes- 
day and part of Thursday to dig the grave. 
Mr. George Burns, of whom mention has 
been made, arranged for the casket in which 



260 An American Missionary 

Father Judge's remains were interred. It 
was a magnificent one, considering the possi- 
bilities of the place, and he would not give 
any information about the cost. I learned 
positively that it cost a thousand dollars. . . 
On Thursday night the remains were moved 
from the chapel to the church, for the fu- 
neral. Mr. John Mattler of Denver, Colo- 
rado, and I took turns in watching that the 
burning candles should do no damage. His 
turn was up at ii P. M. and I remained until 
4 A. M. It was bitterly cold, and to keep 
comfortable it was necessary to walk up and 
down the aisle. Besides, at that time, we 
had but a couple of hours of faint light at 
mid-day, and one might say it was continu- 
ous night. During my watch the weird 
howling of wolves and malamute dogs was 
constant, yet there seemed to be nothing to 
fear; for there, with that strange dignity on 
his face, lay our good friend who seemed 
only sleeping, and ready to answer our call 
for assistance, as he always did in life." 

As we said in the beginning of this narra- 
tive, God has not ceased to speak to men, and 
we know not how often He gives some warn- 
ing or presentiment of the approach of death. 
We know that to the Saints the knowledge 
of the time of their death has been frequently 
granted. St. Stanislas Kostka, two weeks 



His Death and Funeral 261 

before his death, asserted that he would cer- 
tainly die before the end of that month; a 
few days later he expressed the hope that he 
would spend in Heaven the feast of the As- 
sumption (the 15th of August) ; on the 14th, 
in the morning, he said that he would die 
that night, and in fact he did die very early 
in the morning, August 15th. 

It seems very clear that Father Judge had 
a presentiment of his death. He said during 
his illness that he would die on Monday, the 
i6th. When the Sister who attended him 
said, '' Oh, no ! Father, you are not going to 
die; we shall pray hard, and you will not 
die,'' he answered with a sort of cheerful 
assurance, " You may do what you please, 
but I am going to die/' 

By a strange coincidence, thirty-three 
years before, his mother was taken ill on 
January 8th and died on the i6th, and this 
loving son began his struggle with death on 
the 8th and expired on the i6th of the same 
month. 

It is interesting to note how firmly con- 
vinced were the friends or attendants, who 
heard him speak of the day of his death, that 
it was the anniversary of his birth. This 
error can be explained only by supposing 
that, when the worn-out missionary spoke 
of that day as his " birthday/' he was using 



262 An American Missionary 

the language of the Saints, and we may say, 
of the Church; and that he meant to say, 
perhaps half playfully, that it would be the 
day of his birth to a better life. 

He could not have forgotten that he was 
horn on April 28th ; for, in his family it had 
been the custom to celebrate and make much 
of ''birthdays;" and that custom contributed 
to impress the dates indelibly on the minds 
of the children. 

Divine Providence surrounded the faithful 
priest in his last illness with all the consola- 
tions of religion. For some years, Father 
Judge had passed months without seeing a 
fellow priest; and, if death had overtaken 
him then, he would have been deprived of the 
helps that the Church affords her children 
in their last hours. But, when his time came, 
though in a place where, three years before, 
there would have been no hope of seeing a 
priest, he found not only the affectionate 
ministration of the priest, with daily Com- 
munion during his illness, but also the 
gentle and solicitous care of devoted and 
pious Sisters. 

Is it not easy to see here the realization of 
the beautiful thought expressed by a holy 
soul in these words? — " Give yourselves un- 
reservedly to God, love Him and seek for 
nothing out of Him, and the day will come 



His Death and Funeral 263 

when you will fall asleep on His Divine 
Heart, to waken in His glory."* 

The first announcement to the outside 
world of the Missionary's end, was a para- 
graph in the daily papers of February nth, 
1899, which read: '' Father Judge is Dead. 
An Associated Press dispatch from Dawson 
City, Alaska, via Seattle, announces the 
death from pneumonia of Rev. Wm. H. 
Judge, S. J." 

Owing to the lack of telegraphic com- 
munication, it had taken twenty-five days for 
the news to reach Seattle; and the meagre- 
ness of the information left relatives and 
friends in a state of suspense until, some ten 
days later, the following letter was received 
from the Prefect Apostolic of Alaska : — 

Juneau, Alaska, Feb. 12, 1899. 

To Rev. Father C. J. Judge, S. S., 

St. Charles College, 

ElHcott City, Md. 
Rev. and Dearest Father: 

The last letter I had from your dearly be- 
loved brother. Father William Judge, was 
dated Dawson, December 27th, 1898. He 
was well then, and rejoicing at the work done 
at St. Mary's Hospital. ''The hospital," 
said he, " continues to do much good for 

♦Mother M. of St. Euphrasia Pelletier. 



264 An American Missionary 

souls, and saves many lives." He enclosed 
in his letter the program of an entertainment 
given there on Christmas night, for the bene- 
fit of St. Mary's Hospital. 

Great, therefore, w^as my sorrow, and pain- 
ful my surprise, when the mail from Dawson 
brought us today the unexpected news of 
the sickness of your brother on January 8th 
and his happy death on January i6th. The 
Holy Will of God be done ! It is a hard blow 
to all his relations and friends, and especially 
to our Mission. We have all suffered an im- 
mense loss, but God knows better than our- 
selves what was best for our dear Father, and 
for our Mission. Our Lord was satisfied 
with his good works in this world, and called 
him to his reward and to a better life, where 
there are no more toils, and hardships, and 
trials of all kinds, but everlasting joy and 
peace. 

As a matter of fact, reverend and dear 
Father, when I visited him last summer, I 
was very much struck by a change which had 
come over him and gave to his words and 
actions a calm and serenity, which appeared 
to me of a supernatural character, and re- 
sembled the heavenly peace of the blessed. 
I made the remark to many of our Fathers 
at the time. In the midst of his toils and 
fatigues, day and night, he felt perfectly 
happy and contented, and superabounded 



His Death and Funeral 265 

with consolations. I see by the particulars 
which have just been forwarded to me from 
Dawson concerning his death, that this con- 
dition of his soul was, by a special grace of 
God, the same up to his last moment; for he 
was conscious up to the end, and all his utter- 
ances expressed the happiness of his soul. 
Therefore I say, we his friends and brothers 
in Christ, weep not over him without con- 
solation, like those who have no faith and 
consequently no hope. Let us pray for him, 
but at the same time thank God for such a 
death after such a life of heroic deeds of 
charity. 

Our beloved Father, according to the let- 
ter of one of the employees in the hospital, 
was suffering from congestion of the right 
lung and pleurisy accompanied by fever. On 
January 12th, Dr. Barrett, his physician, said 
that his fever had fallen from 104'' to loi''; 
also that the inflammation was subsiding and 
his condition somewhat improved, but owing 
to his poor general health he was not entirely 
out of danger, and in case of any further 
complications arising, the result might prove 
fatal. Your brother thought it prudent to 
constitute a board of trustees, to look after 
his affairs, and appointed a board of direc- 
tors to conduct and manage the hospital, un- 
der the supervision of Sister Mary Zephyrin, 
who was superintending the institution dur- 



236 An American Missionary 

ing his illness. He expressed himself as 
fully resigned, and remarked, — '' If our dear 
Lord is about to call me to my reward, I am 
prepared/' Our Father was very happy, 
despite his sad affliction. Yet all sincerely 
hoped and prayed that God would spare him 
a little while longer, as Dawson could ill 
afford to lose him. All seemed fully to 
realize it, as there were constant inquiries, 
both in person and over the telephone, solicit- 
ing news of his condition. He has erected a 
monument to God and dedicated to man a 
hospital, which has been a haven of refuge 
to the poor afflicted sick of Dawson. 

Father Desmarais, O. M. I., prepared him, 
in the absence of the Vicar General, Father 
Gendreau, to receive the Holy Rites of the 
Church, and he had the happiness every 
morning, a little after midnight, of receiving 
Holy Communion as Viaticum. 

On January i6th, a further communication 
was forwarded to me, as follows : — '' It is 
with great sorrow that I inform you of the 
sad news of the death of our much lamented 
Father William H. Judge, which occurred at 
ten minutes before two o'clock this after- 
noon, he receiving the Holy Rites of the 
Church, surrounded by Father Desmarais, O. 
M. I., Brother B. Cunningham, S. J., and the 
Sisters of St. Ann, who were in constant at- 
tendance, anticipating every desire; a service 



His Death and Funeral 267 

which was performed with such grace and 
gentleness, as only they possess. He suf- 
fered considerably during the last three days, 
but rested comparatively easy from about 
seven o'clock this morning until our Divine 
Lord was pleased to release him from the life 
which he so nobly sustained through his 
magnificent character, strong religious zeal, 
and great faith in God. 

Rev. Father Gendreau arrived about four 
o'clock this afternoon, and greatly lamented 
being too late; he was on the creeks 
visiting the various missions, and unfortu- 
nately the news did not reach him until yes- 
terday, when further travel was impossible.'' 

Father Gendreau himself wrote on Janu- 
ary i8th, to explain how, when he started 
for his visit to the mines, nothing had led 
him to suspect that your beloved brother 
would fall sick, as he did on the following 
day. The Oblate Fathers had invited him 
to dine with them on the Feast of the Epiph- 
any, January 6th. Father Gendreau had in- 
formed him that he intended to start for a 
visit to the Missions in the mines. Our 
Father had approved of his plan, and lent 
him his own sleigh and dogs for the journey. 
At the moment of starting, Father Gendreau 
went to shake hands with your brother, 
whom he found in good health. Thus you 
see how unexpected was the approaching de- 



268 An American Missionary 

cease of our dear Father, and how friendly 
all the Missionaries were living together. 

The same Father Gendreau, in a letter 
dated January 20th, gives the following par- 
ticulars of the funeral services of the Apostle 
of Dawson : '' Every day, from Monday up 
to Friday, the Office of the Dead was recited 
at 8 P. M. around his remains. They were 
brought up to the church on Thursday even- 
ing, and people watched over them the whole 
night. There was High Mass at eleven 
o'clock on Friday, with deacon and sub- 
deacon: Father Gendreau was celebrant, 
Father Desmarais, deacon, and Father Cor- 
beil, sub-deacon. Father Lefebre directed 
the choir. The crowd was immense; many 
people could not find room inside. At the 
end, Father Desmarais spoke in praise of the 
lamented Missionary, who had done so much 
and given his life for the welfare of the 
miners in the Klondike. Father Gendreau 
also spoke. The government officials, all the 
prominent citizens, and even the Protestant 
ministers were all there. The church was 
magnificently decorated for the occasion. 
The mourning was general; flags were at 
half-mast and stores were closed on that day 
from 9 A. M. to 2. P. M.'' 

Allow me to enclose in this letter the lead- 
ing article of the local newspaper in Dawson. 

Your beloved brother was buried in a vault 



His Death and Funeral 269 

near the altar, on the Gospel side, in that 
church which was erected by his indefatig- 
able zeal last summer, on the same lot as the 
former one, but of larger proportions. I 
forward you a copy of the photograph of that 
church, that you may form a better idea of 
the place where lie the remains of your saint- 
ly brother. 

Yours very sincerely in Christ, 

J. B. Rene, S. J., 

Pref. Ap. Alaska, 

The article in the Dawson paper, the Klon- 
dike Nugget, to which the Very Rev. Prefect 
Apostolic alludes, thus described the sad 
event : — " Rev. Father Judge is Dead — He 
yields up his life surrounded by many of his 
friends — His splendid work in Dawson — 
' Charity, Sweet Charity,' his ruling motive 
— A good man's work— A living faith. 

" The Rev. Father Judge is no more. 
' Father ' Judge, as all loved to call him, 
Catholics and Protestants alike, died at the 
hospital he has cared for so long and loving- 
ly, on Monday afternoon, January i6th, at 
1.50. The Father's faith was as real as his 
Christianity, and almost his last words to the 
friends around his death-bed were: 'This is 
the happiest moment of my life; I have 
worked for this many years; I am going to 
my reward.' Each spasm of pain during his 



270 An American Missionary 

last excruciating illness, was welcomed de- 
voutly as the wish of an all- wise and chasten- 
ing Father; and calmly and serenely the 
good Missionary glided into the eternity, 
which has occupied so much of his thoughts 
here upon earth. 

'' The day of his death, strange to say, was 
his forty-ninth birthday,* and it was upon 
the same day thirty-three years ago that he 
lost his mother. Four years ago, on the 
same day, he nearly lost his life from freez- 
ing. To his intimate friends, during his ill- 
ness, he confided the fact that he hardly ex- 
pected to live over that fateful day; and, as 
the time arrived, the more certain of this he 
became. Friends were summoned and 
' good-bys ' were said — the Father as 
cheerful and contented as at any time in his 
history, and himself speaking words of com- 
fort to the big, yet weeping pioneers, whom 
he had known so long and served so faith- 
fully. . . .^ 

" Of his private life there is not much to 
tell. On a hard couch in his office, by the 
front entrance to the hospital, he spent the 
few hours devoted to sleep, ready at an in- 
stant's notice to respond to night-callers and 
to the querulous calls of sickness. A stand- 
ing order with nurses and watchmen was 
that, no matter what the hour, or how un- 

*We have explained above the source of this error. 



His Death and Funeral 271 

necessary the call, he was to be instantly 
awakened if patients desired his presence. 

'' Loved sincerely and genuinely by every- 
one attached to the institution, the ^ Good 
Father Judge,' as he was affectionately 
known to all, will receive the last sad rites of 
his church on Friday next at eleven o'clock 
in the forenoon, and his remains will be laid 
to rest in a vault constructed under the sa- 
cred building, in which he has so often led 
the services/' 

A Seattle paper of February 17th, thus re- 
ferred to the peculiar circumstances to which 
we have called attention : ^' The deceased 
was forty-nine years of age, his death occur- 
ring on the anniversary of his birth. 

" A strange circumstance connected with 
the death of Father Judge was his prediction 
of the date on which it would occur. From 
the beginning of his illness he felt that he 
would die; and, to intimate friends, he said 
his death would take place on his birthday, 
January i6th." 

Nobody could better tell us of the death of 
the Pastor and Chaplain than the devoted 
Sister Mary Zephyrin, who attended him 
during his illness. With a delicate charity 
she wrote to the youngest sister of the de- 
parted priest, while his body was still lying 
in the hospital. From that letter we extract 
the following lines : " Never were prayers 



272 An American Missionary 

more fervently offered for a devoted Pastor's 
preservation, than ours were for him; and it 
was only two hours before he breathed forth 
his pure, noble soul, that our hopes were 
blasted. . . . 

'' Of his holy sojourn here below, all that 
we could say would be but the faint shadow 
of the reality; for his was certainly an ideal 
life. The spirit of self-sacrifice, that actuated 
him in every word and deed, proved how 
zealously he strove to attain that degree of 
perfection, which has been so eagerly 
sought after by the Saints, in whose foot- 
steps he trod as closely as possible. . . . 

'' Could you have shared our happiness, as 
we all knelt by his bedside, in receiving one 
of the many blessings he gave ; in listening to 
the pious words addressed to many of his 
most intimate friends, who called to bid him 
'farewell'; in witnessing the look of peace 
and happiness portrayed on his countenance, 
as he spoke of his desire to be called forth 
from this world to enjoy for evermore the 
company of our Blessed Saviour, whom he 
loved so ardently, and his entire submission 
to the Holy Will of God, which was one of 
the faithful maxims of his life, you would be 
consoled and fully convinced of how Avell 
prepared this loved brother was to meet the 
Creator.'' . . . 

The following account from the " Klon- 



His Death and Funeral 273 

dike Nugget '' of January 21st, will best de- 
scribe the funeral of Dawson's first Pastor: 
"All Dawson mourns the death of Father 
Judge. There is scarcely a man in the entire 
community, who, at some time or other, has 
not come into personal contact with the work 
of that noble priest, who, on Friday morning, 
amid the solemn services of his Church, was 
laid to rest beneath the edifice which stands 
as a lasting monument to his efforts as a 
philanthropist. The esteem, in which the 
benevolent Father was so universally held, is 
well attested by the great throng which as- 
sembled to witness the last sad ceremony. 

"At an early hour groups of sorrowful 
mourners began to arrive; and, long before 
the hour for the funeral, the large church was 
crowded to overflowing. The sides and ceil- 
ing of the church were beautifully draped in 
mourning, as were also the pillars which sup- 
port the roof. Around the altar and forming 
an effective background for numerous waxen 
tapers, the sombre black and white were 
gracefully intertwined. 

" Before the altar, in the centre of the 
broad aisle, was the beautiful casket con- 
taining the remains of the departed Father. 
Surrounding the casket were tall standards 
bearing lighted tapers, which threw a soft 
light upon the peaceful features of the dead. 
Perfectly serene he lay and with every indi- 



274 An American Missionary 

cation of having fallen into quiet restful 
repose. 

'' The solemn and impressive requiem 
Mass of of the CathoHc Church was per- 
formed by Rev. Father Gendreau, who suc- 
ceeds Father Judge as pastor of St. Mary's 
Church, assisted by Fathers Desmarais and 
Corbeil. At the conclusion of the cere- 
monial portion of the services, Father 
Desmarais addressed the assembly with 
touching words. He reviewed the life 
of the departed from childhood, when 
he first manifested an interest in spiritual 
matters and indicated his desire for the 
priesthood. During school and college days, 
he was held in high regard by masters and 
fellow students alike. Since his ordination 
as a priest, important duties had been as- 
signed to him, and all were fulfilled in a most 
worthy and creditable manner. 

" His work as a Missionary at Circle City 
and Forty Mile was spoken of with great 
feeling, and many an old-timer went back in 
his memory to the days when Father Judge 
was ministering to the spiritual wants of the 
miners in the lower country. His efforts 
and successes among the Indians were also 
referred to by the speaker, whose personal 
affection for Father Judge was made mani- 
fest in every word spoken. 

" Father Desmarais dwelt at length upon 



His Death and Funeral 275 

the work of the deceased since his arrival in 
Dawson. Almost through his own unaided 
efforts St. Mary's church was founded; and, 
in connection with it, Father Judge realized 
a long-cherished wish, when he found him- 
self enabled to proceed with the construction 
of the hospital. 

" The fire of last spring, which entirely 
destroyed the first church building, in no 
wise discouraged the zealous priest; and 
he set to work with renewed vigor upon the 
plans for the present structure, a building 
far more commodious and better adapted 
for the purpose. 

" Through his untiring energy and zeal, 
the accommodations of St. Mary's Hospital 
were extended until its present capacity was 
reached: but the accomplishment of the 
heavy tasks he had set himself, proved too 
heavy a drain upon a naturally weak physical 
organism; and at length his life was laid 
down in the service to which his best years 
had been consecrated. 

" With a touching tribute to the dead, and 
a rehearsal of his own intimate relations 
with him. Father Desmarais concluded his 
address. 

'' Father Gendreau, successor to Father 
Judge as pastor of St. Mary's, then spoke 
briefly in reference to the many virtues of the 
deceased ; and told of his own feeling of re- 



276 An American Missionary 

sponsibility in taking up a work begun by 
such able hands. His remarks impressed 
themselves deeply upon all. 

" The audience were then invited to pass 
up the aisles and view the remains, while 
the choir in the gallery filled the church with 
the sweet harmonies of ' Nearer My God 
to Thee.' 

" The music throughout the ceremony 
was beautifully rendered. The pall-bearers 
were Messrs. M. J. Sullivan, Geo. Burns, 
Thos. Chisholm, Dr. McFarlane, Dr. Bar- 
rett, and Mr. Stevens.'' 

When the news of the Missionary's death 
was verified, steps were taken to have suit- 
able funeral services in Baltimore, while 
many private Masses were offered for the re- 
pose of his soul. 

On March 6th a solemn Mass of Requiem 
was sung in St. Ignatius' Church, which the 
departed priest had loved so well. 

The celebrant of the Mass was Rev. C. J. 
Judge, of St. Charles' College, a brother of 
the dead priest. Rev. J. H. Richards, of 
Frederick City, was deacon, and Rev. Law- 
rence Kelly, of Loyola College, sub-deacon. 

Rev. John A. Morgan, President of Loyola 
College, preached. In referring to the life of 
Father Judge, he said: "He was an honor to 
Maryland, to the city of Baltimore, and, we 
might say, to this special congregation. . . . 



His Death and Funeral 277 

He was unquestionably a born Missionary; 
and, in conjunction with Father Barnum, 
also of this city, has accomplished a great 
work, which will be felt in the future." 

When, in the summer of 1899, the Oblate 
Fathers decorated the interior of St. Mary's 
Church in Dawson, space was reserved on 
the wall of the Sanctuary, at the Gospel side 
of the altar, for the following inscription: 

Hie est sepultum, donee resurgat, 
corpus P. Guil, H. Judge, S. J. 

viri charitate pleni, 

qui primus, in civitate Dawson, 

aegris habitaculum 

Deo templum 

cunctis cooperantibus erexit 

universaque plebe lugente 

pie decessit in Dno. 

Die 16 Jan. 1899 



CHAPTER X. 
TRIBUTES OF RESPECT AND AFFECTION. 

" Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down 
his life for his friends." — John xv., 13. 

MEN are often ungrateful ; so great is self- 
love, so strong the instinct of self-pres- 
ervation, so deep-rooted the love of comfort, 
that benefactors are sometimes forgotten; 
but there is scarcely a human heart that can 
hold out in cold disregard of spontaneous, 
cordial, and disinterested charity. Especially 
does the heart of man respond to kindness 
and good offices, corporal or spiritual, be- 
stowed at the expense of the giver, above all 
when those gracious acts cost the donor 
pain, sickness, or death. 

Human experience confirms the wisdom of 
God's plan of redemption. He has under- 
taken to win the heart of man by love, show- 
ing that love by benefits and by personal 
suffering even unto death. This is the mys- 
tery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which 
we have seen Father Judge had so tender a 
devotion. By loving the Heart of Jesus, this 

278 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 279 

whole-souled apostle had come in some de- 
gree to imitate It, in kindness, devotion, and 
self-sacrificing charity. And now that this 
work of love was finished, men realized how 
beautiful, how sweet, his charity had been. 
Since his death, many heartfelt tributes have 
been given to his zeal and charity, the most 
noteworthy of which we reproduce in this 
closing chapter. 

The Klondike Nugget of January 21st, 
1899, voiced the sentiments of Dawson's 
citizens in these strikingly earnest words: 
" The sudden end of the much-loved Rev. 
Father Judge was not only a distinct shock 
to the community, but an irretrievable loss 
also. There are good men in the world 
plentiful enough; but there is no one here 
who can take up the Father's good work 
with the disinterestedness and unselfishness 
of Father Judge, or can, in less than a dec- 
ade, win such individual trust as all felt for 
this physically feeble, yet charitably strong 
man. 

''Innumerable instances of the devoutness 
of his faith, broad-minded charity, and great 
benevolence, could be cited, if any there were 
in our midst to be convinced ; but there are 
none. We all knew him, and an enumeration 
of his virtues would appear needless. 

" The following resolutions by the Citi- 
zens' Relief Committee show something? of 



280 An American Missionary 

the esteem in which he was held : ' At a meet- 
ing held by the Citizens' Relief Committee, 
at the office of the United States Consul at 
Dawson, January i8th, 1899, it was resolved: 

" That we, the members of the above com- 
mittee, desire to express our keen sense of 
the irreparable loss, which this committee, 
in common with the entire community, sus- 
tained in the death of its esteemed member. 
Father Judge. 

''We feel our absolute helplessness when 
we attempt to adequately express our appre- 
ciation of such a career as his, consecrated to 
the cause of humanity; so sublime an in- 
stance of a life's devotion to the amelioration 
of distress, with no sordid ambition or hope 
for earthly reward, but simply doing good 
and loving virtue for its own sake. With a 
childlike simplicity of heart was combined a 
nobility of character which entitles him to 
rank with the world's benefactors. 

'' With a wide Catholic charity, that em- 
braced all creeds and conditions of men, his 
ear was ever open and his door never closed 
to the cry of pain and suffering. 

'^ The hospital, which he established as a 
haven of refuge for the sick and helpless, re- 
mains as a monument to his herculean labors 
in the cause of duty; but his best monument 
will ever be in the hearts and the memory of 
his fellow citizens. 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 281 

" His buoyant and cheerful spirit strug- 
gled manfully under a load of debt and 
grave responsibility incurred for others; 
but the task was too great, and his death 
cannot but be regarded as a voluntary mar- 
tyrdom in the cause of charity. His life- 
work deserves from us, and from all men, 
the verdict of ' Well done ! ' Now, there- 
fore, be it 

'' Resolved, that we extend our heartfelt 
sympathy to his relatives and friends, and 
to the Church of which he was so long a 
faithful servant; and that this resolution be 
spread upon the minutes, an engrossed copy 
thereof transmitted to St. Mary's Church 
and copies furnished to the press. 

" Thos. A. McGowan, Chairman; Al. 
Bartlett, Treasurer; N. W. Bolster, Secre- 
tary; O. V. Davis; Ensign McGill; J. C. 
McCook.' '' 

John L. Rees, editor of the Klondike 
Miner of Dawson City, paid the following 
graceful tribute to the memory of Father 
Judge, in an article contributed to Donahoe's 
Magazine for December, 1899: 

" On arriving in a strange city, after the 
first general impresion has been formed, one 
begins to single out striking personalities 
and mentally associate them with the work 
for which their presence stands in the com- 
munity. 



282 An American Missionary 

" That worth commands respect from all 
classes, even in a mining country, was evi- 
denced when a Missionary priest died in 
Dawson City. . . .So closely was he identified 
with the highest interests of the Klondike 
region, and so wide-spread was his influence, 
that no description of the place would be 
complete without reference to his career. 

" Probably no other event occurred in 
Dawson City that caused so general a sor- 
row to be felt and expressed, as the passing 
away of Father Judge, the good man who 
founded this hospital, and whose warm 
heart, good deeds, and effective works of 
relief of the poor, sick, and afflicted, will ever 
be remembered. . . . 

" Father Judge had been building a chapel 
in connection with the hospital, and his 
whole heart was in its completion. On Sun- 
day, January i, 1899, the New Year, for the 
first time, he was able to say Mass in the 
chapel, and for six days he celebrated the 
sacred ceremony. On the seventh day, Sat- 
urday, January 7, he began the Mass, but 
was taken ill and obliged to discontinue. 
He never rose from his sick-bed, and never 
complained, although suffering excruciating 
agony during a considerable part of the time. 
To his most intimate friend, George Burns, 
who had been with him ever since his arrival 
on the field, and whom he loved as a brother, 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 283 

he said that he would die on Monday, the 
i6th, that his mother had died thirty-three 
years ago on the same day; that his birth 
anniversary fell on that day, and that he felt 
his life would close then. He died on the day 
he predicted. In the hearts of thousands of 
the people of the frozen North the good he 
has done will live after him." 

In the '' Semaine Religieuse,'' of Montreal, 
for April 2nd, 1899, appeared this expression 
of the sentiments of the Sisters in charge of 
St. Mary's Hospital: 

" The life of the lamented dead was, es- 
pecially since his arrival in these remote 
regions, but one series of heroic acts per- 
formed with the most admirable simplicity 
and the most complete forgetfulness of self. 
Hence his death causes, among both Catho- 
lics and Protestants, profound regret; and 
every tongue joins in the unending concert 
of praise, that tells of his piety, his lively 
faith, his unbounded charity, his apostolic 
devotedness, his humility, the admirable 
qualities of his heart and mind, and his 
ability in matters of business. 

" The funeral of the * Good Father ' took 
the proportions of a public demonstration of 
respect and gratitude. It was amidst senti- 
ments of indescribable emotion, that his 
mortal remains were deposited in the crypt 
of the church, in which he had so often exer- 



284 An American Missionary 

cised the priestly functions, after having 
himself drawn the plan, superintended the 
building, and paid all the cost of it." 

After referring to the hospital as Father 
Judge's " work of predilection,'' the writer 
continues : " It was there that he lived, sleep- 
ing upon a hard couch, in a poor, cold, little 
room; it is there that he died, in the odor of 
sanctity, in the midst of his dear patients, 
Catholic and Protestant, men who had come 
from every corner of the globe in quest of 
the gold of the Klondike. 

" In that house, how many souls Father 
Judge and his helpers, the Sisters of St. Ann, 
devoted religious from Canada, have 
brought back to God and to the practice of 
their religious duties ! " 

A lay Brother of the Society of Jesus, who 
was a companion of the Missionary, thus re- 
calls some of their experience: 

" Father Judge's death impressed me in a 
special manner, as I was his companion in 
Alaska for three years. He was a man of 
faith, courage, and charity. The tender care 
he took of the sick could hardly be surpassed. 
In the winter of 1892, Rev. Father Tosi was 
sick unto death. We all thought, at Holy 
Cross, that we were going to lose him, and 
also our boy Andrew, who died afterwards. 
Father Judge and I took turns night and day 
nursing them ; and he edified me greatly by 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 285 

his watchfulness. His great faith seems to 
have come from the thought, which was 
always in his mind, that he was doing God's 
work. I remember many a time when some 
accident would happen, or there was some 
difficulty which we could not overcome, he 
would say: 'This is God's work, and we 
must succeed; he will help us out.' The way 
in which God did help us at these times 
seemed to me almost miraculous. I cannot 
forget the night and day we spent in a storm 
in which we had been caught on Bering Sea; 
he speaks of this in one of his letters. The 
tow-rope tore away the guard work over the 
wheel at the beginning of the storm, and it 
had to be repaired in the heavy weather. The 
Father in his concern about me, who was on 
top of the wheel doing what I could to repair 
the damage, forgot all about himself and his 
own danger. Often I had to call on him to 
hold tight, as the water came over us ; for, 
sometimes when the steamer would rise on 
the crest of a wave, her wheel timbers where 
he was standing would go under water. But 
the good Father forgot himself, and stood 
there passing me boards, ropes, nails, etc., 
and again and again exposed himself to the 
greatest danger. His courage and confi- 
dence in God — for he often called on me to 
put my trust in God, who would help us — 
encouraged me very much. When the storm 



286 An American Missionary 

was over, he gave thanks to God and said, 
^ Brother, I thought sometimes, when I saw 
the big seas coming over the steamer, that 
we had to go to the bottom.' As he was not 
a man to spare himself, I think he must have 
shortened his days by excess of labor. . . . He 
will, I feel sure, greatly help the poor mission 
of Alaska, which he loved so well, and will 
be a guardian angel to all who labor on it.'' 

The Very Rev. Prefect Apostolic of Alas- 
ka, in one of his letters, gave this honorable 
testimony: 

" It is needless to say that the sudden 
death of our beloved Father Judge is a severe 
loss to our mission. We had hoped that he 
would live to settle everything in Dawson 
and return next spring to our territory, 
ready for new combats and new victories. 
He was not yet 49 vears of age. But the will 
of God be done! He has lived long enough 
to do a ereat and heroic work, which will 
last, thanks to the zeal of the Oblate Fathers 
and the charity of the Sisters of St. Ann*; 

♦ The ^ fulfilment of the hope here expressed is happily 
shown in this simple statement taken from the Catholic 
Directory. 

Vicariate - Apostolic of Mackenzie — Yukon District. 

Dawson, St. Mary's, Rev. A. Lebert, O. M. I., Rev. G. Eich- 
elsbacker, assistant. St. Mary's Hospital and Academy — 
11 Sisters of St. Ann, Sister M. Zenon, dir. ; pupils, 64; 
patients, 165. 

Atlin, B. C, attended from White Horse. 

Bonanza, Rev. Father Lebert, O. M. I. 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 287 

and the memory of this noble son of St. Igna- 
tius, cherished by all, will be a credit to the 
Catholic Church, to the Society of Jesus, to 
the province of Maryland, and to the Mission 
of Alaska." 

The Paris review " Etudes," in its issue of 
April 5th, 1900, gave this interesting commu- 
nication from a writer who was in Dawson 
City in July, 1899: — 

'' First of all, we must speak of the founder 
of this Mission, Father Judge, S. J., who, al- 
though only forty-nine years old when he 
died, January i6th, 1899, was nevertheless 
called the 'old Father' or the 'old Priest;' 
so much had he worn himself out in the serv- 
ice of his dear miners. All, Catholics and 
Protestants, are unanimous in extolling his 
zeal and charity. When he arrived at Daw- 
son (March, 1897) with the first pioneers, he 
had to organize everything; not only what 
was needed for religious services, but also 

Dominion, Rev. Father O. Corbeil. 

Forty Mile, attended from Dawson. 

Gold Run, attended from Dominion. 

Hunker, attended from Dawson. 

Lake Bennett, attended from White Horse. 

Last Chance, attended from Dawson. 

Selkirk, attended from White Horse. 

Stewart, attended from Dawson. 

Sulphur, attended from Dominion. 

White Horse, Rev. A. Lefebvre, O. M. I. School, 3 Sisters. 

of St. Ann, Sister M. Didace, dir. ; pupils, 45. 
Missions with chapels, 9. 
Stations without chapels, 4. 
Catholic population, about 8,000. 



288 An American Missionary 

what was required for the care of the sick; 
for, in these ' stampedes/ as they are called, 
these races for gold, how many poor fellows 
fall victims either to the cold or to privations 
of all sorts! 

"With the aid of the miners. Father Judge 
founded a hospital, which he placed under 
the protection of the Blessed Virgin; then, 
thanks to the experience that he had gained 
before he entered the Society of Jesus, he set 
to work to build a church, which is quite 
beautiful. 

''During- the Winter of '97 and '98, the 
hospital was full of sick men, of whom the 
good Father himself took care; he made 
himself all things to all without distinction 
of Catholic or Protestant. And how he was 
loved! For his sake, anyone would have 
given anything he had. One day, a mes- 
senger from the hospital went to a store 
and asked for an article that was the 
last on hand and could not be had else- 
where. The price was very high, but 
the thing was necessary and the man 
was going to pay for it, when the store- 
keeper said : ' Is it for Father Judge? ' ' Yes,' 
was the answer. ^ O, then, you may have it 
for nothing.' And there are many cases of 
the kind. When the Father made the round 
of the wards, how well he was received ! It 
it true that he scarcely took care of himself; 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 289 

he always wanted to see that the sick had all 
that they needed. ' You see the old Priest/ 
said a Canadian, ' it is eleven o'clock (at 
night) ; he is going to make the round of the 
ward, and to-morrow morning at three 
o'clock he will come again/ 

" When he died, the mourning was gen- 
eral. ' I had been on the Creeks, Father,' 
said a '' Boy" to me, ' and I was returning; 
when, from the top of the hill, I saw the flag 
of the hospital at half-mast. I asked what 
was the matter; and, when they told me that 
Father Judge had just died, I left everything 
and ran to try to see once more him, whom 
we all loved so much.' 

'' And now his brother missionaries are 
reaping the fruits of the friendship that he 
gained. He rests beneath the church which 
he built and which is the most prominent 
building in Dawson City; but the remem- 
brance of him remains deeply engraved in all 
hearts, and the Catholic Church is honored 
as having such servants." 

Mr. John Mattler, now of Denver, Colo- 
rado, having heard somewhat late of the 
preparation of this work, wrote: 

" It was with a feeling of mingled pleasure 
and regret that I heard this: pleasure, be- 
cause of the promised opportunity of reading 
this book which will naturally possess an 
extraordinary interest for me, and regret. 



290 An American Missionary 

because of being deprived of a coveted oppor- 
tunity of contributing, in my humble v^ay, 
some interesting data that may now be 
v^anting. 

'' It was my sad but highly esteemed privi- 
lege to excavate the grave, by the side of the 
altar in the church built by Father Judge, 
in which his remains were interred. This lov- 
ing task, I would fondly conjecture, was as- 
signed to me, because of my known devotion 
to this godly man of most saintly character, 

" It was my proud privilege to meet 
Father Judge, for the first time, in Dawson, 
in the spring of 1898. From that time until 
his lamented death, I met him almost daily, 
and learned to ardently esteem and love him, 
as assuredly did all who had the inestimable 
fortune of knowing him at all intimately. 
Not one sentiment have I ever heard uttered 
relating to Father Judge, that was not 
couched in the warmest terms of love, vener- 
ation, and praise. 

^^ The universal love and admiration that 
was entertained for his noble character was 
abundantly manifested at the time of his 
funeral by the community among whom he 
had lived and for whose well-being, spiritual 
and temporal, he had so devotedly labored. 
All business was suspended during the cele- 
bration of the funeral services, and the in- 
habitants of Dawson and the adjacent min- 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 291 

ing-camps ardently vied with one another 
in honoring his blessed memory. 

^^ Probably nothing could serve to so strik- 
ingly and justly exemplify this universally 
esteemed and beloved priest's grandly simple 
and simply grand character, as did his de- 
meanor during the progress of the fire that 
destroyed his church building (in the month 
of May, '98, was it not?) and his childlike 
simple remarks at a later hour on that same 
day. 

''During the period of my acquaintance 
with Father Judge (always, I believe, in re- 
pose) his countenance ordinarily wore a 
strikingly serious and somewhat sad expres- 
sion, due, presumably, to the pain caused by 
his impaired health, and the very arduous 
duties of his self-imposed tasks; he could 
not be prevailed upon to spare himself in the 
least, and those nearest to him were well and 
painfully aware that he habitually denied 
himself the rest necessary to recuperate the 
physical powers he so devotedly and lavishly 
spent in ministering to the well-being of all 
who came to him in need or distress. In 
conversation and his intercourse with the 
public, he always bore himself in a most 
edifyingly cheerful demeanor, but my several 
weeks' acquaintance with him previous to 
the event last above mentioned, had led me 



292 An American Missionary 

to regard him as a man of an uncommonly 
serious temperament and disposition. 

'' When I arrived at the scene of the fire 
alluded to, the situation was alarmingly crit- 
ical. The church, a comparatively commo- 
dious structure of thoroughly seasoned 
spruce logs, was completely enveloped in the 
fiercely devouring flames, and the hospital, 
of similar construction, was in imminent 
danger of speedy destruction. The two build- 
ings were joined to one another by a corner 
of each, and when it is considered that there 
was, at the time, absolutely no means avail- 
able for combating the ravages of the flames, 
save the very primitive and crude one of 
fetching and applying water by pails, it will 
be easily appreciated that the hospital was 
only and barely saved by the most devoted 
and strenuous eflforts of the entire populace, 
which had turned out for the purpose, almost 
to a man. 

" The countenances of this assembled 
mass of sturdy men, who were heroically 
battling with the destroying element, forci- 
bly depicted the awful solicitude and anxiety 
that filled their minds and hearts. Imagine, 
then, my great surprise and perplexity 
when, espying Father Judge, I beheld the 
only gleam of tranquillity and unconcern — 
yea, even mirthfulness — to be witnessed in 
that entire assemblage. Indeed, the dear 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 293 

Father's features seemed radiant with emo- 
tions of glad cheer, as he flitted about among 
the almost panic-stricken attaches of the 
hospital (principally young American phy- 
sicians who supplied, in their persons, the 
no inconsiderable corps of nurses) and, by 
words and actions, made light of their in- 
tensely anxious concern. 

'' To be sure, the wise and noble motive 
that dictated this heroic attitude was not 
dijfficult to discern; but, the situation was 
none the less suggestive of the superlatively 
marvelous. 

" I am positive that no occurrence of a 
purely temporal or material character, — 
affecting the interests of Father Judge ever 
so disastrously, — was more likely to strike 
consternation to his devoted heart than was 
the destruction of his church edifice, and 
with it all his vestments, altar vessels, &c., 
thus depriving him of his ardently cherished 
privilege of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice 
of the Mass. Particularly as the fire occurred 
on Saturday night, one naturally expects to 
find this most fervent priest heart-broken on 
the ensuing day. However, approaching 
him at about noon on that memorable Sab- 
bath day, I again beheld his lovable counte- 
nance wreathed with the same cheering and 
winsome smile — and greatly did I marvel. 

'' It may be remarked, and quite justly so, 



294 An American Missionary 

that he had then good reason to congratulate 
and felicitate himself upon the fact that his 
hospital had been saved as if by a miracle, 
and upon the most fortunate escape from 
the slightest injury of the more than a score 
of more or less seriously ill inmates, notwith- 
standing that it had been deemed necessary 
to hastily remove them from the threatened 
building. 

''Accosting the Father and commenting 
upon his surprisingly cheerful mood, both 
at the time that the fire was at its height and 
at the (then) present moment, he promptly 
and with apparent light-heartedness re- 
marked: 'Ah, well! I had promised our 
Lord to erect for Him a more commodious 
temple, and he probably thought I would 
fail to keep my promise unless the old and 
inadequate building were destroyed/ Such, 
in substance, were the words in which he, 
almost playfully, explained his heroic and 
edifying resignation in the face of the fact 
that no one at all acquainted with his finan- 
cial aflfairs at that particular period, could 
understand how the funds for the erection 
of a new building were to be realized within 
any reasonable period of time. 

" One more very unusual fact is, in my 
opinion, worthy of special mention. During 
Father Judge^s pastorate in Dawson, there 
was not one penny of pew-rent collected, nor 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 295 

did he take up a collection at any of his 
church services, except in a single instance, 
which was in pursuance of a special request 
of members of his parish. When Father 
Judge's successor in the pastorate (an Oblate 
Father from Canada) proposed a departure 
from this unique policy by inaugurating the 
practice of renting the church pews — the 
practice that is almost if not quite universal 
throughout this land — the former viewed 
this course with a pronounced aversion, re- 
marking to the writer that he himself would 
gladly pay for all the pews, if the new pastor 
might thus be persuaded to abandon the 
idea of collecting the same from his con- 
gregation/^ 

The next tribute is from the pen of a Re- 
ligious, who, perhaps, never met Father 
Judge, but who seems to have realized vivid- 
ly his generous spirit. , 

In Sacred Remembrance of Rev. Wm. H. Judge^ S. J. 
Ad Major em Dei Gloriam, 

Not in annals penned by men 

Such deeds as his are known; 
Angels of God rehearse his works 

Before the eternal throne. 

*Tis said he died ; but no, he lives 

Where fadeless joys abound: 
Celestial bliss is his reward, 

His mighty works are crowned 

The prayer we frame dies on our lips, 
His life was so sublime: 



296 An American Missionary 

Self-sacrifice from morn to night 
In a far-off sunless clime. 

The savage horde on every side. 

What claim had nature there? 
Toil, toil, his incessant lot, 

His only solace prayer. 

Fit comrade for a Xavier he: 

But saints have passed through fire; 

So, we will pray: Eternal rest. 
Rest, rest where naught can tire. 

The following expressive poem, by Arnold 
F. George, of Dawson, was written not long 
after the Missionary's death, and published 
in the Yukon Catholic. It was reproduced 
in the San Francisco Monitor: 

The world was in a fever, men mad with tales of gold. 
Crowned heads were raised to listen; and timid hearts grew 

cold. 
And college savants stopped the class — discussed auriferous 

sand, 
And preachers dropped their Bibles for the journals of the 
land. 

And doctors cheered their patients with the tale so widely 

told, 
Of where the rushing rivers were banked by banks of gold. 
And bootblacks, princes, magnates, restless tossed by dreams 

of wealth. 
On the altar to Dame Fortune cast their youth, their fortunes 
—health. 

By Pelly Banks, past Rarnparts, o'er Chilcoot's stormy height. 
The snow was black with moving men, like locusts in a 

flight— 
An exodus more mighty than that by Moses led — 
A miracle but second to Elisha, raven-fed. 

And listen to their speaking, as they draw their loaded sleds, 
With 'feebled frames so famine pinched; and note their low- 
bowed heads. 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 297 

Not one but deep is thinking — with a heart as black as 

night — 
How he'll leave the " other fellow " by his prowess and his 

might. 

How he'll pass him in the night-time; how he'll neither eat 

nor sleep; 
How he'll get there first, " by heaven ! " if he run or if he 

creep. 
Not one a kindness showing; not one with aught to spare 
To prove the God in human nature — reciprocate our Father's 

care. 

Not one! but we are hasty. See yon form all dressed in 

black ; 
Sled ropes over shoulders, and weakly bended back. 
Observe that halting figure, eyes ablaze, but not with greed, 
Fearful — anxious — half -provided with the goods which he 

will need. 



On the frozen, darkened river, silent wends this halting form, 
Southward, mile by mile, it travels, never heeding cold or 

storm ; 
On that face a holy smiling — holy purpose in that heart; 
Not a gold-mine he is after ; not dreams of wealth his pulses 

start. 

On those lips a prayer is trembling: "Grant me strength, 

Lord, for my task, 
"Thy lost sheep I fain would succor, a few days more is all 

I ask. 
"Nerve this feeble, failing temple; gird me. Lord, with 

strength Thine own, 
"Thine, O Lord, the glory ever; Thine, O Lord, and Thine 

alone." 

Then with strength that's more than human, Dawson finds 

him there at last; 
Hundreds sick and dying round him, sands of life are ebbing 

fast. 
In a tent, without assistance, moves he fast from man to 

man ; 
Knows no creed and knows no color, be he black, or white, 

or tan. 



298 An American Missionary 

Mines of Monte Cristo round him — wealth by millions to be 

had; 
Not one tfiought of earthly treasure — for the gold that makes 

men mad 
Takes healing unguents, wholesome tonics, soothing potions 

from the sled. 
He's cook and launderer, nurse and doctor, prays for the 

sick, inters the dead. 

See those buildings rise around him — five hundred beds and 

each one filled; 
See him give his life for sick ones. Day, or night, when all 

is stilled, 
On his couch a moment lying, but no sleep for wearied eyes; 
See him sink at last exhausted — welcome rest — the good 

man dies. 

Died ! Yes, dead ; and how we miss him, miss his heartsome, 

cheery voice; 
Miss this simple, earnest Christian, over whom the saints 

rejoice. 
Priest he was, but more than priestly; man he was, but more 

than man; 
Christ-taught pity played his heart-strings — fill his place no 

other can. 

That the sentiments expressed in Mr. 
George's last stanza, have not been blotted 
out even by the great destroyer Time, is 
evidenced by the articles with which we shall 
end this narrative. They are taken from the 
" Yukon Catholic " of November, 1903, and 
'^ The Northern Light '' of Dawson, July, 
1904 — five years after the close of the good 
priest's life — a fact that has its significance. 

From the " Yukon Catholic ":— 



Tributes o£ Respect and Affection 299 

"FATHER JUDGE MONUMENT. 

"The memorial stone of the late Father 
Judge has at last come to destination. Dis- 
tance and delays on the way have caused the 
public ta wait for it much longer than was 
at first anticipated. In fact, it was in 1901, 
on St. Patrick's day, that a concert was given 
for the purpose of having some monument 
erected to the memory of the devoted and 
beloved priest, whose mortal remains are 
lying under the chancel in St. Mary's 
Church. However, although at a late hour, 
his numerous friends and admirers will be 
pleased to hear that a fitting monument 
now marks his last resting-place. It will 
remain there to speak to future generations 
of his love of the miner and of the gratitude 
of the latter. 

'' The monument consists of a solid white 
Italian marble, cut in the shape of a cross. 
A beautiful lily is carved at the intersection 
of the arms of the cross, and at the base the 
old epitaph is engraved in gilt letters in 
Latin, the translation of which is as follows: 

" ' Here lies the body of Father Wm. H. 
Judge, S. J., a man full of charity, who, with 
the co-operation of all, here first erected a 
house for the sick and a temple for God; and 
who, being mourned by all, died piously in 
the Lord, the i6th of January, 1899.' " 



300 An American Missionary 

From " The Northern Light/' Dawson, 
July, 1904. 

" A TRIBUTE TO REV. FATHER JUDGE. 

'' No pantheon of grained marble received 
his remains. Instead, he rests beneath the 
bitter, marbled skies of the North-land. No 
shaft of gray marble, no sculptor's master- 
piece marks the spot where tenderly we laid 
him away. Yet were tears jewels, his grave 
amid the Dawson boulders were a mound of 
sparkling brilliants, gem vying with gem in 
flashing fire to speak of some good deed of 
him who lay beneath. If deeds of kindness 
were stone. Father Judge's mountainous 
memorial were even then inadequate. 
Neither ' storied urn ' or ' animated bust,' 
a thousand times repeated, would express 
the height, the depth, the length, the breadth 
of this man's Christian self-forgetfulness, 
nor a tithe of the love borne his memory by 
the twenty thousand early Klondikers who 
enjoyed a momentary acquaintance. This 
army of Klondikers, wandering over the face 
of the earth today with the endless unrest of 
the gold-seeker, too often, alas! cherish in 
their breasts but a single gentle recollection 
of their struggle in the icy North. But that 
memory shall be his monument; an adequate 
reward must be left to a higher power. 

" Father Judge — his is a much more pre- 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 301 

tentious title — but it is as Father Judge his 
memory is treasured by so many sorts and 
classes of men stampeded to Dawson. His 
flock of Alaska miners moved in a body up- 
river to the new gold-fields of the Troandik. 
A pale-faced priest, drawing a heavily loaded 
sled like the miners, might have been seen 
trailing wearily behind, on the ice of the 
frozen river. The frail figure bended over 
the ropes as eagerly, but with far less 
strength, than was to be seen in the miners 
ahead. We know now that the mark of 
death was upon him. It is understood better 
to-day what that stampede cost the black- 
robed figure traveling along in the darkness 
of the Arctic winter to the place already 
named Dawson. Arrived in Dawson, sleds 
were hastily unpacked of their treasures, for 
food was very scarce. Then it was seen 
Father Judge had loaded himself up with 
bottles and boxes — medicines, potions, 
salves and bandages, with scarcely sufficient 
food for himself to last a week. Scarcely 
anything for himself; those medicines and 
remedies were too valuable for the shep- 
herd's use; all were for his flock. 

" Rapidly a tent was erected where now 
stands St. Mary's Hospital. Hasty work 
was necessary, for already the sick and dying 
were beginning to pour down from creeks 
and hills, needing quick assistance before 



302 An American Missionary 

death should claim them prematurely. 
Father Judge's tent became two tents, and 
then three, and all filled, with but a weakly, 
yet luminous-faced priest, half the time 
alone, to act in the capacity of cook and 
launderer, nurse and doctor, to pray with 
the sick and inter the dead. Yes, it was the 
feeble pick of Father Judge that more than 
once made the grave, he who sledded the 
remains of some unfortunate thither, prayed 
fervently over them awhile, whether they 
were the remains of Catholic or anti-Cath- 
olic, covered the rough box with the frozen 
chunks of dirt mingled with snow, and with 
the sign of the cross, left the remains alone 
with an Arctic winter and their God. Yes, 
it was Father Judge who, night and day, 
without rest, ministered from tent to tent, 
sometimes with help, but oftener alone, 
cheering the dying, jocose with the convales- 
cent, feeding the food prepared with his own 
hands, and towards the end of the winter 
administering the simple remedies gathered 
from bushes and boughs; for the sled-load 
of drugs was exhausted by the scurvy which 
beset the illy-prepared miners everywhere. 
It was he who, when time could be snatched 
from prayers at the bedsides, begged from 
cabin to cabin over the new town for the 
flour, the blankets, and the grave-clothes 
needed at the tent hospital on the hill. 



Tributes of Respect and Affection 303 

" So we built him a hospital of logs, and 
having covered him and his patients with 
a roof and provided them with stoves, 
begged him husband his failing strength, 
and grow robust once more, as before he 
froze himself going to the headwaters of 
Forty Mile to hold services. He consented 
to occupy a board couch with a piece of car- 
pet for a rug — the beds were all needed by 
the 500 patients now lying about him. 
Night and day he passed from bed to bed 
as ever, demanding of his nurses that they 
call him whenever he might be wanted by 
any patient, no matter how unreasonable or 
irrational the demand for his presence, and 
then suddenly he went to bed himself — to 
die. He had been nearer death throughout 
it all than had been ninety of every hun- 
dred of his beloved sick. His loving minis- 
trations had been more often than not to 
great fellows nearer rugged health than him- 
self. The Angel of Death had been his con- 
stant companion every hour and every 
minute while he had wrestled for the lives of 
others. And he who had not lain in a bed 
for years, went to bed to die. Cheerful and 
cheery to the last, he forbade tears at his 
bedside, and himself comforted those who 
had come to sympathize with him in his sick- 
ness. They gathered to pray with him; he 
prayed for them. In almost his last breath. 



304 An American Missionary 

he asked for his sick ones, and his last re- 
joicing over things worldly was for the un- 
expected recovery of some of his more hope- 
less cases. 

'' His epitaph should be : — ' Here lies a 
simple, earnest Christian. Greater love hath 
no man than this : that he lay down his life 
for his friends/ '^ 



THE END. 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

" The Life of Father Judge, S. J., who died a missionary in 
Alaska, is a simple and uplifting narrative of priestly heroism. 
It tells of a young Jesuit who asked for an appointment to the 
Yukon Mission, labored there with cheerful joy and abundant 
faith, and died after a brief career in his bleak apostolate, 
loved by everyone who knew him, and venerated even by 
non-Catholics for his single-minded fidelity to duty. Books of 
this sort do great good in revealing lives so given up to God, 
so contemptuous of danger and of ease, so rugged and robust 
and so well fitted to give to our age a new stimulus to faith 
and a new inspiration to charity." — Catholic World, New 
York. 



"Let us consider the book before us. We find here letters, 
covering a period of nine years, so skillfully connected by 
the editor as to make a complete narrative, telling the life 
history of a man whose birthplace was our own city. We 
read of his childhood, of his early education, of his 10 years' 
experience in one of Baltimore's planing mxills. Then there 
comes the recital of his entrance into the novitiate at Fred- 
erick, of his teaching in Washington and of his appointment 
to the position of minister at Woodstock, Md. All this is 
rapidly sketched, and the story is in many of its details not 
uncommon. Then comes the change; the scene is new, and 
the attention is forcibly held by the unfamiliar. The civiliza- 
tion and comfort of Maryland have been exchanged for a 
life of hardship and unceasing effort in the interior of Alaska. 
We are given vivid, realistic pictures of the country, of the 
people, of their customs, of the everyday life of the Alaskan 
village and town, and we gain an insight into the progress of 
mission work in that country. But, more valuable than all 
the other facts that become ours, are those which we gather 
concerning the subject of the biography. Father Judge was 
a priest of the Catholic Church ; his mission in the Northland 
was to the people of Alaska — to the natives, to the miners, 
to Catholics, to those who give their allegiance to Protes- 

305 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

tantism, to all men and all women who needed his ministra- 
tions and his prayers, and to thousands of little children. 
And as we read of how the priest moved in the service of 
God and man we know that in this work the highest pur- 
pose of biographical literature has been attained. The book 
will be an inspiration to all who read." — The Sun, Balti- 
more, Md, 



"The story of Father Judge is not told in the book as a 
layman would tell it, but, being told by his own brother, Rev. 
C. J. Judge — also a priest — , reflects the religious atmosphere 
surrounding Father Judge more truly than could be done by 
the most brilliant of secular writers. All is related unosten- 
tatiously and in simple phrase, and but for the chapter of 
* tributes ' at the end, little would be learned from the work 
of the tender esteem and love in which the missionary was 
held by the many thousands who knew him in Alaska and 
Yukon." — Dawson Daily News. 



"The age of heroes has not passed. The bands of earnest 
men who monthly and annually leave the comforts of civiliza- 
tion in order to win the wandering savage to Christ assure 
us that the spirit of heroism still flourishes among men. 
This record of an American missionary is the story of a 
recent hero. . . . An earnest, self-sacrificing, generous, saint- 
ly character was Father William Judge. May this touching 
story of his life spur on many others to journey to distant 
lands in order to spread the faith of Christ among those who 
sit desolate in the dark shadows of error and degeneracy." — 
Donahoe's Magazine, Boston. 



" A good story * went the rounds ' during the Klondike 
gold-seeking craze, to the effect that among the hundreds who 
rushed thither, outstripping one another in feverish haste, 
one of the first to arrive was . . . the indispensable Jesuit! 
' Ah, ah — those sly Jesuits again !' ' Se non e vero, e ben 
trovato.' In any case, the good father was doubtless seek- 
ing a very different kind of gold to the others — he came to 
make to himself * a treasure in Heaven, which faileth not.' 

"The book before us explains what truth there is in this 
innocent story, — giving as it does a very interesting account 

306 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 



of the missionary labours of Father W. H. Judge, the Jesuit 
concerned. After seven years of apostolic work among the 
Indians in far-off frozen Alaska, he was called to labour for 
the spiritual welfare of venturesome gold-seekers in the great 
Klondike Eldorado, where he died in 1899. 

" We gather from this biography a very good idea of this 
holy priest and earnest religious. His fidelity to his vocation 
in youth; his ardent zeal for the conversion of poor Indians 
steeped in every form of superstition and vice, the hardships 
of his long and lonesome journeys during which he erected 
log-wood churches along the banks of the Yukon river, his 
energy in building church and hospital at Dawson City — 
finally the cheerful resignation of his saintly death — all are 
graphically and touchingly described." — The Tablet, London, 
England. 



"The work consists of the life history of Father Judge, 
the Jesuit, told with rare simplicity and charm, mainly 
through his letters. Father Judge was a true missionary, pre- 
pared for his life work in Alaska by a series of providential 
disappointments that threw his life into an heroic mould long 
before he was sent to Alaska. How cheerfully he continu- 
ously carried the sacrifice of his life in his hands as though 
death were an ordinary matter to be constantly expected, 
and how light-heartedly he went through hardships and diffi- 
culties as if they were of no moment is brought out in the 
simplest way in his beautiful letters. Coming as it does 
when apostolic life is so much needed amongst our American 
clergy, the book is almost providential in its timeliness." — 
Truth, Raleigh, N. C. 



"The most delightful characteristic of the book is the tone 
of cheerfulness which pervades all the letters. No hardships, 
no disappointment, no suffering seemed too great a test for 
the elasticity of Father Judge's spirits. Nothing was further 
from his mind than the thought of winning the applause of 
men. His path for life lay clear and well defined before him, 
and he pursued it with a whole-souled courage and a cheer- 
fulness which are at once a source of encouragement and 
a model for emulation to those of us whose lives are spent 
in a less rigorous climate. 

"Father Judge's life was as replete with adventure and as 
rich in incident as a life must needs be which is generously 
hazarded and courageously spent in an environment of con- 

307 



OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

stant perils, and encompassing it all, as a befitting frame or 
setting, is that unswerving devotion to his God and enduring 
charity for his fellow-men.*' — Catholic Mirror, Baltimore, 



"Is not the whole book a tale of trial, wonders, bravery, 
more tense than a romance because really true? Here we 
find the missionary off the trail, every step a labor, snow 
above his waist; again with the whole river at flood, one 
mass of broken ice, no land to be seen except the moun- 
tains ; again, * very cold, at least thirty below zero,* and * very 
cold, fifty below zero, but no wind/ And still, bright, cheer- 
ful, the brave soul toils on, baptizing, preaching, visiting the 
sick, teaching the children, making trips with dogs and 
sleigh, ice on his eyebrows and eyelashes, and often a cake 
of ice on his cheek. Oh, well, why try to tell his story here? 
All should read it. Especially let fathers give it to their 
boys." — Sacred Heart Review, Boston. 



"In the course of his comments on an adverse criticism, 
directed against the government's policy in reference to the 
schools in the Yukon Territory, ex-Commissioner F. T. Cong- 
don spoke as follows : 

" ' However much any Yukoner may dissent from the doc- 
trines of the Catholic Church, however much he may dis- 
approve of some of the practices of that Church, and how- 
ever much he may even despise her ceremonials, so long as 
the memory of Father Judge and his associates lingers in the 
Yukon, so long will even the staunches t Protestant among 
us cherish some tenderness for that ancient and venerable 
Church.' 

"Most tenderly, indeed, will be cherished the memory of 
the saintly Father William Judge, S. J., by all who had the 
blessed privilege of meeting and knowing him. The writer's 
intercourse with this lovable character will ever continue to 
be one of the fondest recollections of his life." — Intermoun- 
tain Catholic, Salt Lake City, 



308 



ft 



I 



BEC 26 ^90? 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



7)1/ ^s^'^ 



